United States Textile Recycling Growth Analysis - Market Size, Share, Forecast Trends and Outlook Report (2024-2032)

United States Textile Recycling Market Analysis

The textile recycling market in the United States is being aided by the rising demand for clothing and the thriving fast fashion sector. The average spending on apparel by households in the country amounts to nearly USD 1,800 per year whereas the Gen-Z population spends USD 767 per year on fast fashion clothing. Shein, Zara, H&M, Fashion Nova, and Forever 21 are some of the biggest fast fashion brands in the country. The high turnover of textile waste due to rapid production cycle of fast fashion surges the requirement for effective recycling methods of textiles.

Stringent government regulations aimed at managing textile waste and promoting a circular textile supply chain are shaping the United States textile recycling market dynamics and trends. In September 2024, the first-ever Congressional Slow Fashion Caucus was inaugurated to combat the societal and environmental impacts of the fashion sector while promoting textile recycling, reuse, and repair and developing circular economy policies.

United States Textile Recycling Market Trends

Growing generation of textile waste 

The United States is one of the major consumers of textiles, driven by the growing popularity of fast fashion. Approximately 17 million tonnes of textile waste is generated in the United States. In 2018, textile waste represented 5.8% of the overall municipal solid waste (MSW) produced in the United States, with a recycling rate of 14.7%. The amount of textile waste combusted in 2018 was 3.2 million tons whereas landfills received 11.3 million tons of MSW. Reportedly, 76% of clothing waste is generated by consumers in a higher income bracket. Besides, nearly 20 million mattresses are disposed of each year in the US, with recycling rates of less than 5%. This is boosting the requirement for efficient textile recycling solutions. Besides, the growing volume of waste generated is prompting key players to expand processing and collection infrastructure and improve recycling technologies.

Technological advancements and innovations

The textile recycling industry in the United States is being fuelled by technological advancements and innovations aimed at enhancing the sustainability of recycling processes. Key players and researchers are developing innovative chemical recycling methods that can effectively break down textiles on a molecular level for manufacturing high-quality and novel fibres from used textiles. Advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence intended to enable the effective differentiation of non-textile and textile waste with high accuracy and boost the competitiveness and profitability of key players are propelling the market. There is also a rising deployment of digital technologies to track the lifecycle of textiles and improve the transparency of textile recycling processes. Moreover, the adoption of advanced fibre recycling processes such as fibre-to-fibre recycling and closed-loop systems are improving the recyclability of textiles while minimising the requirement for new raw materials in textile manufacturing.

United States Textile Recycling Market Growth

Favourable government initiatives promoting sustainability

The introduction of favourable government initiatives and programmes aimed at advancing research and development in the field of textile recycling is providing lucrative United States textile recycling market opportunities. In early 2024, the United States government proposed the Fashioning Accountability and Building Real Institutional Change (FABRIC) Act, aimed at revitalising the country's domestic garment sector and promoting circularity across the footwear, apparel, home linens, and accessories segments. State and local governments are also introducing laws that mandate textile manufacturers to responsibly collect and recycle their products through the development of take-back programmes. In July 2024, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 was passed by the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee, which requires textile producers to fund and implement programmes for promoting recycling, reuse, and repair of textile fibres and clothing.

United States Textile Recycling Market Outlook

The development and expansion of textile collection systems

The expansion and development of textile collection systems in the United States is significantly improving the recycling rates of textiles, hence driving the United States textile recycling market development. For instance, in April 2024, Standard Textile Co., Inc. announced the launch of its Take-Back Recycling Program, offering customers a convenient solution for responsible disposable of retired linens and repurposing or downcycling them into products like automobile insulation and carpet padding. Through this, the company underscores its commitment to sustainable development. In addition, brands are introducing in-store recycling initiatives intended at tacking increasing waste generation in the fashion industry. In July 2024, Target launched a chain-wide denim take-back event, joining brands such as H&M, Adidas, and Columbia Sportswear, among others, in offering apparel recycling initiatives for responding to rising concerns surrounding apparel-related waste.

Opportunities in the United States Textile Recycling Market

The growing focus on sustainability among consumers is prompting companies to adopt textile recycling programmes and surge the usage of recycled materials. A study by NielsenIQ shows that a sustainable lifestyle is important to 78% of US consumers, whereas 57% of such consumers actively purchase products from brands with a commitment to sustainability.

The United States textile recycling market value is increasing amid the growing adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices by fashion companies to reduce the negative environmental impact of their products. For instance, H&M aims to use 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials in its products by 2030 and 30% recycled materials by 2025.

Market News

February 2024

Eastman announced a partnership with Patagonia to recycle 8,000 pounds of post and pre-consumer clothing waste through its molecular recycling technology. Through the breaking down of unusable apparel into molecular building blocks, Eastman can make new fibres.

March 2024

Gap Inc., along with Ambercycle, announced efforts to leverage textile-to-textile recycled materials in Athleta products. Ambercycle's cycora® regenerated polyester, a high-performance material produced from end-to-life textiles, is aimed at replacing polyester and supporting Athleta to reduce its environmental footprint.

United States Textile Recycling Market Dynamics

The United States textile recycling demand forecast is being driven by the looming textile waste crisis in the country, with a recycling rate of only nearly 15%. This highlights the requirement for effective textile waste recycling solutions and infrastructure. Technological advancements and innovations are also pivotal in enhancing the sustainability profile of the textile sector. While technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can help effectively sort textile and non-textile waste (such as zippers), digital tools are expected to improve the transparency of recycling processes. For instance, a California-based start-up, Refiberd, pairs a hyperspectral camera with its propriety software and AI to unveil contaminant presence and fibre composition in textile waste. Furthermore, brands and governments are expanding textile collection systems and launching product take-back schemes to promote the recycling and reuse of textiles. In September 2023, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) partnered with HELPSY to install blue bins for the collection of textiles at its five Residential Drop-off Centers, intended to reduce textile waste.

United States Textile Recycling Market Restraints

The lack of infrastructure required for the effective collection and sorting of textile waste is challenging the market expansion. Sorting textile waste by quality and type and overall textile recycling processes can be expensive and labour-intensive. Moreover, the availability of limited textile recycling technologies, coupled with the complexity of advanced recycling technologies, can impede the market growth. The lack of supportive and comprehensive legislation and regulations surrounding textile waste management can also negatively impact the market development in the forecast period.

United States Textile Recycling Industry Segmentation

The EMR’s report titled “United States Textile Recycling Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032” offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments:

Market Breakup by Source

• Apparel Waste
• Home Furnishing Waste
• Industrial and Institutional
• Others

Market Breakup by Material

• Cotton
• Polyester
• Nylon
• Wool
• Others

Market Breakup by Process

• Chemical
• Mechanical

Market Breakup by Waste Type

• Post-consumer Waste
• Pre-consumer Waste

Market Breakup by Region

• Far West
• Mideast
• Great Lakes
• Plains
• Southeast
• Southwest
• Rocky Mountain
• Far West

United States Textile Recycling Market Share

By Source Insights

As per the United States textile recycling market analysis, the growing popularity of fast fashion and the rising demand for clothing among the population with high disposable incomes are boosting the generation of apparel waste. To combat the ever-growing issue of apparel waste amid rising environmental consciousness among consumers, key players and major apparel brands are introducing apparel collection systems, where clothes that are no longer used are sent to developing nations for re-sale and the remaining are repurposed by converting them into materials such as car seat stuffing and insulation.

Meanwhile, home furnishing waste includes discarded items such as mattresses, couches, cabinets, furniture, carpets, and other household goods. Over 50,000 mattresses are discarded per day and nearly 20 million mattresses are disposed of per year in the United States, whereas the country houses nearly 60 mattress recycling facilities. The growing spending on household items, evolving consumer behaviour, and rising accessibility to home furnishing items from e-commerce channels are expected to lead to a surge in home furnishing waste in the forecast period.

By Material Insights

Pure recycled cotton is biodegradable, which eradicates concerns about long-term impacts on the environment as compared to recycled polyester. When cotton is recycled, it decreases the demand for new cotton production, aiding the conservation of natural resources like water, land, and energy.

The fashion and textile sectors are increasingly adopting recycled polyester as an alternative to virgin polyester to reduce waste generation from discarded PET and minimise resource usage and oil dependency. Recycled polyester, exhibiting similar properties as that of virgin polyesters, is extensively used in diverse applications, ranging from home textiles to clothing; and its use is expected to surge amid the growing pressure to use recycled fabrics in the fashion industry. In April 2024, the American-Canadian brand lululemon launched a limited edition Packable Anorak, its first product made with enzymatically recycled polyester, marking a key milestone in textile-to-textile recycling.

By Process Insights

Chemical textile waste recycling processes, such as depolymerisation and pyrolysis, are aimed at breaking down textile fibres into their chemical components using chemical processes. They are ideal for handling complex textiles that are hard to recycle using conventional mechanical processes. Increasing research and development activities intended to improve the affordability, sustainability, and effectiveness of chemical textile waste recycling processes are likely to boost the United States textile recycling industry revenue.

However, mechanical textile waste recycling processes involve physically breaking down used textiles to recover materials and fibres, especially from simple blends or single-fibre materials. Such processes typically require carding, shredding, and spinning, among others.

By Waste Type Insights

Post-consumer waste is anticipated to account for a significant share of the market over the forecast period. Post-consumer waste can be described as textile garments and household articles that have been disposed of by their owners. These articles are generally discarded because they are damaged, worn out, or outdated. These wastes are easily available through various channels, including waste bins, donation centres, cloth collection derives, and thrift stores, among others. The rising environmental consciousness among consumers is bolstering the adoption of recycling processes for post-consumer textile wastes and boosting the United States textile recycling market revenue.

Pre-consumer waste, meanwhile, includes trimming, small pieces of fabrics, and scrapes that arise during the textile manufacturing process. Production errors, quality control rejections, overproduction of textiles, and unused raw materials also contribute to pre-consumer textile waste. The recycling of pre-consumer textile waste is essential to reduce pollution and waste management costs.

United States Textile Recycling Market Regional Insights

Far West Textile Recycling Market Outlook

The Far West region, including states such as California, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, is expected to drive the textile recycling demand due to the introduction of various sustainable initiatives by the governments, rising population levels, and the robustly growing textile sector in the region. In July 2024, Senate Bill 707, also known as the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, was successfully passed by the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee. The bill aims to establish a robust Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme to facilitate the recycling, reuse, and repair of textiles and clothing and support the transition to a circular and sustainable economy for textiles.

Mideast Textile Recycling Market Regional Analysis

The Mideast region, comprising states like Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, among others, is witnessing healthy growth due to the expansion of recycling infrastructure and favourable textile recycling initiatives introduced by local governments. In July 2024, Debrand announced the opening of its first facility in Columbus, Ohio, to expand its innovative circular textile ecosystem in North America and meet the growing demand for scalable and advanced textile sortation services.

Great Lakes Textile Recycling Market Insights

The textile recycling demand growth in the Great Lakes, encompassing states such as Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, is increasing due to the growing focus on sustainability and the introduction of various initiatives aimed at lowering landfill waste and improving textile recycling rates.

Competitive Landscape

Key United States textile recycling market players are investing in advanced recycling technologies and incorporating recycled fabrics into their products to reduce reliance on virgin materials and lower textile waste. Companies such as Patagonia and H&M are also focusing on increasing the number of textile collection points and improving sorting processes to combat rising textile waste generation issues.

Key Industry Players

Ambercycle, Inc.

Ambercycle, Inc., was founded in 2015, a material science company which aims to change humanity's relationship with materials, initiating with fashion. Cycora is a high-quality regenerated polyester, that is the company’s first product that offers the same vigour and versatility as virgin polyester, at less than half the CO2 emissions linked with petroleum-based fibres.

Protein Evolution, Inc.,

Protein Evolution, Inc., is the USA’s first biological recycling company which was founded in 2021. In 2023, the company entered a groundbreaking research and development collaboration with iconic fashion brand Stella McCartney, a joint effort to support the future of sustainable fashion. The company’s technology helps engineer enzymes to convert textiles into valuable chemical building blocks that are used to create new textiles.

American-Recyclers

American-Recyclers was founded in 1998 with the aim to recycle pre-owned textile materials comprising clothing, shoes, accessories, and household linens. The company achieves this by collecting pre-owned items through their collection boxes (recycling bins) in local communities. These recycling bins can be found in different U.S. States such as Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and multiple cities in Texas.

Other major players in the United States textile recycling market are Unifi, Inc, Circ LLC, Natural Fiber Welding, Inc., Lenzing AG, Evrnu Inc., For Days, Inc., and Martex Fiber, among others.

Recent Developments

May 2024

Syre, a textile recycling company, raised an additional USD 100 million in a new funding round. Through the capital raised, the company aims to set up its first manufacturing and recycling facility in the United States by the end of 2024.

February 2024

New York-based Accelerating Circularity Inc. launched its next phase of work, Building Circular Systems (BCS) to scale textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling systems and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the textile industry. BCS aims to build the tools required for the commercialisation of textile-to-textile recycling and provide information on circular T2T tools.