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The Importance of a Modular approach to Textile Recycling
Why future recycling systems must be designed for diversity, adaptability, and collaboration
By Ditte Højland, CEO & Founder, Textile Change – October 2025
The European textile industry is entering a decisive decade.
With global fiber demand and the massive amounts of textile waste still growing, scaling textile recycling represents not only an environmental necessity but also the foundation for a new raw materials market.
Mandatory textile waste collection is becoming a reality, and moving innovations from pilot to industrial scale is no longer optional. But with scale comes feedstock complexity — and we believe the ability to manage that complexity will determine who truly succeeds in building a circular textile economy.
The future of textile recycling will not be defined by single technologies, but by how well we connect technologies within the full value chain.
Textile waste becomes more complex as we scale collection
At small scale, textile waste can more easily be carefully selected and controlled. At industrial scale, the story changes. Once we collect from households, brands, and manufacturers, the waste stream becomes far more unpredictable — containing polycotton blends, elastane, coatings, colours, metals, PFAS, and much more.
That’s not a temporary problem. As collection systems improve, the diversity of the waste will continue to increase. In other words: the better we become at collecting textiles, the more complex the recycling challenge becomes.
We believe future recycling systems must be built to handle variation — not avoid it.
Modularity allows industrial scale and adaptability at the same time
For us, modularity means dividing complex recycling systems into logical, manageable units. It’s about building industrial processes in a structured and scalable way — without losing flexibility in the multi-billion-euro investments that will define the next decade.
Each process step — collection, sortering, shredding, cleaning, decolourization, polymer separation, solvent recovery, and so on — can be designed as an independent, optimized module. This enables flexibility for different waste fractions and regulatory requirements.
Due to the diversity of textile waste, a one-size-fits-all recycling approach is not a long-term solution. For instance, some recycling methods developed for polyester now accept polycotton blends, but by focusing solely on polyester recovery, the cellulose (cotton) is destroyed;resulting in major material losses and missed financial opportunities.
Future regulation may require targeting new harmful substances to prevent chemical accumulation in recycled products, as seen with PFAS. Under the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), we expect a major focus on Substances of Concern in textiles. To meet these requirements, we must be able to design targeted treatments for specific waste fractions — and remove unwanted compounds in a controlled, efficient way.
A modular structure enables such precision. It allows regional specialization while also making it possible to replicate proven modules and key process principles across borders.
Modular design supports efficiency, investment, and circularity
Industrial-scale textile recycling will always be capital-intensive — that’s the nature of building critical infrastructure. But modular design changes how that capital is used.
From the outset, investors and partners can decide which processes to prioritize. Instead of one rigid, large-scale (blueprint) plant, modular systems consist of well-defined process units that can operate independently. This approach reduces technical risk, shortens implementation time, and provides a clear path from pilot to profit.
It also supports circularity in a very practical sense. Each module can be optimized to recover heat, water, and solvents, feeding these resources back into the process.
In short, modularity transforms heavy industrial projects into flexible systems — designed to evolve rather than lock in their first version.
Preparing for a changing and diverse industry
If we want circularity to work at scale, we need systems that can evolve. Modularity provides that foundation — technically, operationally, and strategically.
It combines the strength of industrial design with the adaptability needed to manage real, diverse textile waste streams. This approach will be essential for building the lasting infrastructure Europe needs to handle textile flows — and for turning waste into recurring value for industry stakeholders.
