China Textile Recycling Market Overview, 2029

China Textile Recycling Market Overview, 2029

China's textile recycling market has been evolving rapidly due to increasing environmental concerns, government policies, and the growing awareness of sustainability among consumers and businesses. The Chinese government has implemented policies to promote recycling and reduce waste, including stricter regulations on textile waste disposal. The ""Circular Economy"" initiative aims to create a sustainable model for production and consumption, further encouraging textile recycling. China’s National Development and Reform Commission has highlighted the environmental benefits of textile recycling. The process not only helps in resource conservation but also significantly reduces pollutants and carbon emissions. The Wenzhou Tiancheng Textile Company is part of a broader effort to integrate recycling into China’s textile industry. The company is one of the largest cotton recycling plants in the country, reflecting the significant role that large-scale recycling facilities can play in mitigating textile waste. There, discarded cotton clothing and bed linens are meticulously sorted and processed in shredding machines, marking the first step towards giving these textiles a new life. old clothes and refused fibrous materials are recycled and recovered through several processes to create recycled textiles. The majority of recyclable textiles are found in municipal refuse, which comes from items like worn-out or abandoned clothing, tires, shoes, carpets, furniture, and non-durable products like sheets and towels. Utilizing recycled fabrics eases the burden on virgin resources like wool and cotton as well as pollution, water, and energy use. Pollution is also reduced by using less energy, water, chemicals, and pigment. Businesses can increase their profit margins by recycling as it saves money on landfill disposal costs, improves the quality and value of the environment, helps with disaster assistance, and transports used clothing to areas that need it. This development is being driven by an increase in recycling operations and increasing demand from several industries, including retail, automotive, construction, and a few others.

According to the research report ""China Textile Recycling Market Overview, 2029,"" published by Bonafide Research, the China textile recycling market was valued at more than USD 1000 Million in 2023. The rising demand for recycled textiles on account of the increasing environmental concerns among individuals represents one of the primary factors propelling the growth of the market in the China. Besides this, on account of their comfort and associated benefits, there is a significant shift towards home textiles. This is offering lucrative opportunities to leading players operating in the industry. The increasing environmental concerns about waste production and increased public awareness of textile recycling in rural areas are anticipated for the market. Cloth recycling is experiencing a backlog as a result of the pre-recycling procedure being hampered and constrained. This resulted in an accumulation of apparel and materials in warehouses, which had an impact on the growth of the market. Textile companies focus to use materials that are ethically and sustainably produced, recycle more, and implement a circular economy. Chains that produce textiles use a variety of chemicals and pollutants, as well as a tremendous quantity of water and energy. The circular economy for clothing and textiles includes textile recycling, which can lower greenhouse gas emissions while freeing up valuable land for other uses. Several nations intend to increase recycling and decrease textile trash to achieve this.There is a rise in the production of textile and clothing waste as the average life of a given garment grows shorter. This is extremely harmful to the ecosystem because of the incineration process and disposal in landfills, which release greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling textiles, according to EPA and SMART, greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which spurs economic growth. Additionally, new recycling techniques and ground-breaking research in the field are expected to support market growth.

Cotton is the biggest segment of the textile recycling market in China because it is employed in both apparel and domestic textiles. Cotton fibers are more easily recyclable into easily processible new products. An established infrastructure for the collection and processing of cotton waste, and rising demand for sustainable fashion drive the dominance of cotton in this segment. Also, the biodegradability factor of cotton is an environmental concern that has forced both consumers and manufacturers in China to pay more attention to cotton recycling. The availability, combined with high consumer preference for natural fibers, makes cotton the leading segment. Among the synthetic fibers, polyester particularly the recycled form of polyester is getting a lot of traction in China, as it is highly in demand in the fast fashion sector. As consumers grow in their environmental consciousness, demand for recycled polyester created from plastic waste in the form of bottles and other discarded textiles increases. This not only diverts waste away from landfills but also reduces reliance on energy-intensive virgin polyester production. Innovations in recycling technologies and increasing government support to sustainable materials add further impetus to the growth in the polyester segment. The Nylon & Nylon Fiber segment refers to textiles made from nylon, a synthetic polymer that boasts strength and durability. Even though nylon is recyclable, due to its complicated process conditions, nylon recycling is rather less frequent. New emerging technologies are starting to enable the recovery of nylon from discarded products. Wool is a segment of natural wool fibers that can be recycled mechanically. Wool recycling is not as popular as cotton and only picks up as sustainability in fashion does. Others include a number of synthetic and natural fibers that do not come under the main segments and constitute acrylic, lyocell, and blends. The way these materials can be recycled often differs significantly depending on their constitution.

The apparel waste segment dominated the market due to the gigantic volume of clothing waste generated every year. Adding to this is fast fashion, huge in China, with consumers buying and discarding garments tirelessly. This helps to maintain its lead because of the already established infrastructure for collection and recycling of apparel waste. Again, greater consumer awareness of environmental sustainability and government measures to encourage recycling and waste reduction foster prominence for apparel waste in the textile recycling scenario. Its availability in large quantities has made apparel waste a focal point in recycling activities and hence its lead position in the market. Home furnishing waste, comprising textiles from upholstery, curtains, and beddings, is a growing segment in China. This growth is driven by increasing consumer interest in sustainable home decoration and furniture. As more consumers set a priority to be more eco-friendly, demand for recycled raw materials in home furnishing applications increases accordingly. Moreover, the trend toward circular economy practices persuades manufacturers to look for recycled feedstock, making home furnishing waste very promising as a source for textile recycling. Coupled with the growing consumer preference, innovative recycling technologies form the basis for growth in this segment of the Chinese textile recycling market. Automotive Waste these are the textiles used inside a vehicle, covering seats, carpets, and other upholstery. As with automotive waste recycling, it is less developed compared to apparel, but huge growth potentials are foreseen as the automotive sector increasingly focuses on sustainability and lightweight materials. Others include sources of textile wastes that accrue from various sources such as industrial textiles, technical textiles, and specialty fabrics. Their means of recycling vary quite a lot and depend on their respective applications and material makeup.

Mechanical recycling physically reworks the textiles to recover fibers and materials without altering their chemical structure. This segment tops the list due to the well-established processes, most of which are cost-effective. Infrastructure-wise, mechanical recycling is more developed in China, with many facilities capable of processing large volumes of post-consumer textile waste. The simplicity of the mechanical recycling method shredding fibers and re-spinning them gives it a quick process time and immediate reusability into a number of new applications, from new textiles to insulation materials. Government support for sustainable practices and waste reduction initiatives has increased and is helping drive the growth of mechanical recycling facilities across China. Chemical recycling remains an emerging subsector in China, driven in large part by technology innovation and the need for more effective ways of recycling such textiles that cannot be treated efficiently mechanically, like those blended with synthetic fibers. With growing consumer awareness of sustainability, the eyes of companies are on innovative chemical recycling technologies that result in high-quality fibers, which can later on be used in new textile production. Also, with China's commitment to the attainment of a circular economy and landfill waste reduction, the country has warmed up to chemical recycling, hence attracting investment and growth.

Post-consumer textile waste refers to the discarded clothing and textiles that have no use with the consumer. This segment is fast leading and growing in China because of a number of reasons. Due to fast fashion, there is an incredible rise in the quantity of textile wastes because consumers are seen updating their wardrobes quite frequently and, in the process, disposing huge amounts of clothes. The growing environmental awareness of consumers has led to a subsequent increase in demands related to sustainable practices. This exerts immense pressure on companies to develop effective programs related to recycling. Further, initiatives and policies by governments to reduce landfill wastes and promote a circular economy have contributed to promoting post-consumer textile recycling. Increased collection and processing of post-consumer textiles have been solidified through continued consumer education on recycling and sustainability, and this makes this area a leading and growing segment in China. Pre-consumer textile wastes are rejected textile materials during the process of production prior to reaching the consumer. They include off-cuts, defects, or surpluses resulting from productions. This is another vital section for textile recycling but not as prominent as post-consumer waste in China. Pre-consumer waste is typically viewed by companies as a by-product of the manufacturing process and is normally reduced through more efficient production. Better opportunities exist for recycling pre-consumer waste, especially since many manufacturers are striving to become greener while at the same time saving money. Some firms are starting to recycle pre-consumer waste back into production, but the tonnage levels are still radically lower than post-consumer waste.

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

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.