United States (USA) Textile Recycling Market Research Report, 2029

The United States textile recycling market is on the brink of revolutionizing sustainability and driving a circular economy in fashion. Several states and local governments in the United States have implemented or proposed landfill bans or restrictions on textile waste. These regulations prohibit or limit the disposal of textiles in landfills, encouraging businesses and individuals to divert textile waste to recycling facilities. Moreover, governments at various levels provide financial incentives, grants, or support programs to promote textile recycling. These funds can be utilized by businesses and organizations involved in textile recycling to invest in equipment, technology upgrades, research and development, and infrastructure expansion. Besides, governments undertake awareness and education campaigns to educate the public and businesses about the benefits of recycling textile and the environmental impacts of textile waste. The US textile recycling sector has been severely hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. Restrictions and lockdowns have thrown off supply networks, making it harder to collect worn textiles from homes and businesses. The difficulties were made worse by the closure of recycling facilities and a decline in the market for recovered goods. The sorting and processing of textiles has also been hampered by hygienic requirements and safety concerns. These setbacks have hindered the market's expansion for recycled textiles and made it more difficult for the sector to rebound. Being one of the top fashion capitals in the US, the state is also home to the sewing factories in the US, California is one of the first states in the US to implement the textile waste ban which mandates that households do not dispose of any textile items in the landfills or incinerators. Being one of the largest manufacturers in the US, the state has contributed almost 15 per cent to US manufacturing. According to the research report "USA Textile Recycling Market Research Report, 2029," published by Actual Market Research, the USA textile recycling market was valued at more than USD 1000 Million in 2023. The rising awareness of the detrimental environmental impact of textile waste and the need to conserve resources has led to a growing product demand in the United States. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the clothing they purchase and are actively seeking sustainable options. This shift in consumer preferences has influenced fashion brands and retailers to adopt sustainable practices, including incorporating recycled textiles into their product offerings. The market is witnessing significant growth driven by several key drivers and trends. One of the primary factors propelling the market is the increasing emphasis on sustainability and the growing awareness of the environmental impact of textile waste. Furthermore, the rising demand for recycled and sustainable textiles is fueling the growth of the market. Consumers are becoming more conscious of their purchasing decisions and are actively seeking environmentally friendly products. This shift in consumer behavior has led to a surge in the demand for recycled textiles, as they offer a more sustainable alternative to conventional fabrics. Moreover, regulatory initiatives and government support are also driving the market. This includes landfill bans on textiles and the promotion of extended producer responsibility, where manufacturers are responsible for the end-of-life management of their products. In the U.S., various programs and start-ups are gaining momentum, contributing significantly to the increasing rate of textile recycling. American Textile Recycling Services (ATRS) is the donation bin operator, for donation and collection services of clothing, footwear, and household items. ARTS are continuously expanding to the new cities in the country driving the growth of recycling.

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Cotton is the largest class found in textile recycling since it has a high percentage of utilization, and thus its environmental impact in the U.S.A. market is considerable. Due to the high use volume, cotton clothes are very common in everyday wear, consequently leading to high quantity in terms of waste in the textile recycle bins. A great category of items that are in high demand after recycling due to maintained, relatively high levels of quality compared to other recycled materials is the recycled cotton. The already mature infrastructure for the recycling of cotton, together with awareness among consumers and industries for sustainability, keeps cotton at the forefront of textile recycling. Polyester and polyester fibers have been showing increasing growth in textile recycling, supported by a few factors in the US. Polyester is the most utilized synthetic fiber in textiles and corresponds to a large volume of waste. Thanks to new technologies for recycling, including chemical recycling, this same polyester can be recycled into high-quality new fiber. Other key enablers that encourage increased recycling of polyester include the decreased use of first-generation plastics and moving toward circular economy principles. New recycling technologies developed through innovation and supported by increasing investments further enhance the market and economic potential of increased polyester recycling. Although nylon and nylon fiber are nowhere near as tough as either cotton or polyester, they are very high because of their inclusion in everything from sportswear apparel to industrial uses. Recycling nylon is difficult because of the complex chemical makeup, but technology and a raised awareness of the environment are slowly improving the recycling processes. Wool recycling is a niche in relation to cotton and polyester included it is of interest in certain applications. Wool garments are fewer in quantity but are relatively valuable because of their eminence of quality and biodegradability. Apparel waste leads the textile recycling market by volume and high recyclability. This source leads the recycling market by the amount of waste textiles that come solely from the fashion industry, be it in the form of garments or offcuts of fabric being dumped as rejects by the manufacturers. The volume of apparel waste is huge, driven by fast fashion trends and consumer behavior, it remains a primary focus for efforts to recycle. Secondly, technological advancements in sorting and recycling have increased the rate at which apparel wastes are reprocessed into new products, thus sealing this segment's lead. The recycling rate of home furnishing waste, including rejected textiles from upholstery, curtains, and bedding, is also rising. This has been accompanied by enhanced awareness of sustainability and reducing landfill waste derived from household products. Since home furnishing products involve high-quality material content, huge recycling potential is created. Innovations in recycling technology further support the growth by enhancing the processing of these materials. Moreover, the developing market for green home products and increasing legislation related to waste management also support home furnishing waste in the recycling market. Automotive textile waste forms a smaller yet important category. Since automotive textiles are highly specialized and generally call for specific recycling processes, their recycling is much less common. However, driven by the need of the automotive industry and regulatory requirements related to greater sustainability, it is gradually expanding. Other categories include other kinds of sources, such as industrial textiles, medical textiles, and other miscellaneous textile wastes. While small in volume, these streams are critical to a total recycling approach. Each of these sources has its own challenges with respect to material composition and contamination, but improvements are being made in handling and processing the various streams due to new technologies and impending regulations. The post-consumer category leads in the textile recycling market and is growing. This means used clothing and household textiles or other fabric products disposed of by consumers. High volume, resulting from high rates of consumption and increasing interest in sustainable fashion, is what keeps the post-consumer category at the leading status. With consumers becoming increasingly green-minded, the quantities of clothing and textiles landfilled or otherwise disposed of are soaring both a challenge and opportunity for recycling. As the textual waste toll on the environment has gained more awareness, this has been associated with increased efforts toward recycling and re-purposing discarded apparel. Innovations in sorting and processing technologies have made it easier to recycle post-consumer textiles into new products. The policies related to the recycling of post-consumer textiles also encourage practices for recycling and circular economy. Pre-consumer waste, otherwise known as post-industrial waste, consists of by-products and off-cuts from textile manufacturing processes. The enhancement of recycling technologies is slowly enabling the processing of pre-consumer waste in transforming manufacturing off-cuts into re-usable materials. Though of a lesser quantity compared to post-consumer waste, pre-consumer waste refers to pieces of fabric, defective textiles, and other kinds of wastes produced before reaching the final consumer. It is growing due to increased efforts toward sustainable manufacturing practices and better technologies for recycling that divert it from landfills.

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Kripa Shah

Senior Analyst

Mechanical recycling remains the predominant process in the U.S. textile recycling market due to the availability of well-established methods that are cost-effective. The process involves physically breaking down textiles into fibers in order to re-spin them into yarns or new fabrics. As a result, this is largely in use because it is economically feasible and efficient for materials such as cotton and polyester. Mechanical recycling facilities have the support of mature technology that makes the process of recycling easy, hence most preferred by recyclers. The high-quality output of recycled fibers from the mechanical methods, especially cotton, further cements its lead in the market. The chemical recycling segment is growing as it has the capability to process a wide range of textile materials to produce high-quality, recycled products. It basically serves to break the textiles down into the simplest form of chemical components, followed by reconstituting such into new fibers. New innovations in chemical recycling technologies are making this method more and more possible, they include depolymerization and solvolysis. This method counteracts the challenges observed in the mechanical methods since it can handle complex and synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon, which are not handled easily by mechanical recycling techniques. Development and adoption of chemical recycling technologies are increasing, backed by the growing emphasis on sustainability and circular economy principles, regulatory pressure, and industrial support. Considered in this report • Historic year: 2018 • Base year: 2023 • Estimated year: 2024 • Forecast year: 2029 Aspects covered in this report • Textile Recycling market Outlook with its value and forecast along with its segments • Various drivers and challenges • On-going trends and developments • Top profiled companies • Strategic recommendation

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By Material • Cotton • Polyester & Polyester Fiber • Nylon & Nylon Fiber • Wool • Others By Source • Apparel Waste • Home Furnishing Waste • Automotive Waste • Others By End-Use Industry • Apparel • Home Furnishings • Industrial & Institutional • Others By Textile Waste • Post-consumer • Pre-consumer By Process • Mechanical • Chemicals The approach of the report: This report consists of a combined approach of primary and secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list the companies that are present in it. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, annual reports of companies, and government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources, primary research was conducted by conducting telephone interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this; we have started making primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting them in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us, we can start verifying the details obtained from secondary sources. Intended audience This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations, and organizations related to the Textile Recycling industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing and presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.