Gaining benefits from discarded textiles
Open accessAbstract
Nordic consumers purchase 365 000 tonnes of new clothing and home textiles each year. After food, housing and mobility, textiles is our consumption area that causes most environmental impacts. Reusing and recycling used textiles can offset some of these impacts but with an increasing number of options available, government and business need more information to make decisions on which pathways to choose. The Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned a consortium to carry out an LCA study to compare the environmental benefits of treatment options. Reuse was found to give by far the greatest benefits, regardless of whether the textiles are reused in the Nordic region or exported for reuse elsewhere. Further down the waste hierarchy, recycling is a better environmental option than incineration, although the benefits are moderate compared to the benefits of reuse. The primary aim of the project was to provide a database that can assist policymakers and businesses to estimate the environmental benefits of strategies for gathering and treating discarded textiles. As such this report presents only a fraction of the results of the LCA modelling. Hundreds of additional results can be found in a number of spreadsheets that can also be downloaded here.
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Today, existing textile recycling routes are in most cases downcycling.
“Today, existing textile recycling routes are in most cases downcycling.Clothing and home textiles are downcycled into, for example, industrial rags, low-grade blankets, insulation materials and upholstery (Schmidt et al., 2016).”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Schmidt et al., 2016
Clothing and home textiles are downcycled into industrial rags, low-grade blankets, insulation materials and upholstery.
“Clothing and home textiles are downcycled into, for example, industrial rags, low-grade blankets, insulation materials and upholstery (Schmidt et al., 2016).”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Schmidt et al., 2016
When reuse and recycling are both considered, reuse is found to be more beneficial than recycling, except under certain circumstances with regard to transportation distances.
“When reuse and recycling are both considered, the former is found to be more beneficial than the latter (Dahlbo et al., 2017;Schmidt et al., 2016;Zamani et al., 2015;Beton et al., 2014;Corsten et al., 2013;Palm et al., 2013;Farrant et al., 2010;McGill, 2009;Bartl, 2009), except for under certain circumstances with regard to transportation distances (Fortuna and Diyamandoglu, 2017).”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Schmidt et al., 2016
The modelling of synthetic monomer recycling in Zamani et al. (2015) and Schmidt et al. (2016), and one of the four synthetic monomer recycling models in Shen et al. (2010a, b), are based on inventory data from Patagonia (2006), originally from the Japanese company Teijin.
“For example, the modelling of synthetic monomer recycling in Zamani et al. (2015) and Schmidt et al. (2016), and one of the four synthetic monomer recycling models in Shen et al. (2010a, b), are based on inventory data from Patagonia (2006), originally from the Japanese company Teijin.”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Schmidt et al. (2016)
Cites
Jbilou, F., Dole, P., Degraeve, P., Ladavière, C., & Joly, C. (2015) · European Polymer Journal · doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2015.04.039 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
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Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review
Sandin, G., & Peters, G. M. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.266 · Cited by 1,087 · see citing works
“Among the studies that do elaborate on the use of the results, national policy development is a frequent theme (see, e.g., Fortuna and Diyamandoglu, 2017; Schmidt et al., 2016; €Ostlund et al., 2015; Corsten et al., 2013; Palm et al., 2013; Fisher, 2006; Fisher et al., 2006).”
BackgroundInfluential
- Authors
- Schmidt, A., Watson, D., Roos, S., Askham, C., & Poulsen, P. B.
- Venue
- TemaNord
- Publisher
- Nordic Council of Ministers
- Published
- 2016-09-06
- ISSN
- 0908-6692 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2508499213
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 4.48
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- urn.kb.se
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- TemaNord (publishedVersion)
- KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Municipal Solid Waste Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Waste Management and Recycling
- Keywords
- textile reuse, textile recycling, incineration, waste hierarchy, home textiles, Nordic countries, waste management policy, life cycle assessment databases
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