Spain Textile Recycling Market Overview, 2029

Spain Textile Recycling Market Overview, 2029

Spain is threading sustainability into its fashion fabric with the magic of cutting-edge recycling that turns yesterday's textiles into tomorrow's treasure. Tremendous development in the last few decades has been seen in the Spanish textile recycling market. Traditionally, very few services existed for handling textile wastes, many of which ended up in landfills or incinerators, thus contributing to a good deal of environmental degradation. At the beginning of the 21st century, all this began to change. First, it introduced EU regulations and national policies, like the so-called Ley de Residuos y Suelos Contaminados de España. These first steps have laid down the foundation on which Spain can further continue to take the lead in textile recycling in Europe. Technology and innovation are the two main drivers of Spain's advances in textile recycling. Technology such as Enable the breakdown of textiles into their basic components for re-use, offering solutions for complex and mixed-material fabrics. The mechanical recycling techniques used by companies like Textil Santanderina are continuously improved with the use of advanced sorting systems and automation. The next in innovation, enzymatic recycling where enzymes break down textile fibers has been a bright innovation in reducing waste and increasing material recovery. The case of Spain represents a well-rooted textile recycling infrastructure, whereby there is a very good system for the collection and sorting of textile waste. There are numerous, well-placed municipal collection bins within both urban and rural areas, supported by organizations like Ecoembes, which coordinates collection at a national level. Countrywide sorting and processing take place in recycling centers using state-of-the-art technologies like AI-powered systems to make the process more efficient. It is also important to note that some companies, including Zara, already have in place reverse logistics systems that collect used garments directly from consumers. The amount of textile waste treated in Spain totaled approximately 76,700 metric tons in 2021. The volume of textile waste managed in the Mediterranean country has decreased by more than 20 percent when compared to 2010 levels.

According to the research report ""Spain Textile Recycling Market Overview, 2029,"" published by Bonafide Research, the Spain Textile Recycling market is anticipated to add to more than USD 30 Million by 2024–29.Textile recycling provides several environmental advantages in Spain. The market keeps landfills free of textiles, hence preventing soil and water contamination and reducing GHG emissions. For example, it is estimated that up to 20,000 cubic meters of landfill space can be conserved by recycling 1,000 tons of textiles. This is so because, as compared to new production of textiles, recycling requires less energy and water. It thus reduces the ecological footprint. Consumer participation is essential in ensuring that the textile recycling process in Spain becomes a success. An example is the Garment Collecting Initiative by Zara, which supports donation of old clothes within stores. Education campaigns set up by organizations such as Ecoembes raise awareness regarding the need for recycling and correct disposal of textiles. Greater consumer participation makes the efforts of recycling programs more effective and, thus, better fitted toward the achievement of sustainable development goals. It is innovations that support growth and efficiency in Spain's textile recycling market. Fiber-to-fiber technologies developed by companies like Textil Santanderina turn old textiles into new fibers. Digital tracking systems in place by platforms like Ecoembes improve management and efficiency in recycling operations. Upcycling projects, like Ecoalf, transform this discarded material into totally new and high-added-value products. The Spanish market for textile recycling is influenced by regional dynamics. On the other hand, well-developed systems with high participation rates have been reported to exist in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona. The rural regions have problems that include few collection points. This trend is attacked, in the like of Ecoembes's regional expansion efforts, through the opening of more collection points and increasing awareness in unrepresented areas. Spain's textile recycling market is characterized by a competitive landscape where well-known companies are competing with new startups. Major participants include Textil Santanderina and Ecoembes, large, far-reaching networks and resource-rich. Innovative startups, as represented by Ecoalf with its introduction of new technologies and methods, stir competition and progress.

In Spain, segmentation based on material includes cotton, polyester and polyester fiber, nylon and nylon fiber, wool, and others. Cotton is on top in the Spanish market, holding the biggest share of the country's textiles that are recycled. This might be attributed to the high demand that exists for cotton-based products in the country, such as clothes, bedding, towels, and so on. In fact, the process of cotton recycling in Spain has already been developed, where firms specifically carry out collection, sorting, and further processing of cotton wastes in the country. The fibers are used to make various kinds of rags, insulation, and even new clothes. The Spanish textile recycling market is expected to lift off greatly in polyester and polyester fiber. This will be so because more polyester is applied in making clothes and other textile products and new technologies for recycling are developed to efficiently process polyester wastes. Though relatively new in the case of Spain, it is really gaining momentum with a number of companies investing in polyester recycling facilities. Nylon and nylon fiber recycling are also gaining momentum in Spain, catalyzed by the rising demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products. Nylon has huge application in outdoor gear such as tents, backpacks, and clothing. Therefore, nylon waste recycling can offer a chance to mitigate environmental impact arising from these products. Another prominent sector of the Spanish recycling textile market is wool recycling. Wool represents a renewable, natural resource, and recycling of waste wool could contribute to greening wool production. Even though wool recycling is an extremely complex process, a number of companies in Spain now target wool recycling and the production of high-quality, recycled wool. The other materials, such as acrylic, polyamide, and silk, are also recovered by recycling in Spain, but in lesser volumes. Most of these materials are blended with other fibers, hence making the process of recycling them more challenging. With continuous development in recycling technologies, these materials are also expected to come at the forefront of the Spanish textile recycling market.

In Spain, a fast fashion industry has increased the consumption of clothing, which means that a lot of textile recycling revolves around apparel waste. In most cases, waste apparel recycling is carried out by collecting, sorting, and then processing textiles based on their composition. Some common recycling techniques that are currently applied to bring apparel waste back into fibres or fabrics include shredding and spinning. The quality of these recycled fibers from apparel waste degrades in the successive cycles of recycling, thus proving one of the challenges to the industry. The waste from home furnishings is again a significant source of the generation of textile wastage in Spain, and this waste is a growing segment of the textile recycling market. Home textiles such as curtains, upholstery, and bed linens contribute to a substantial quantum of textile wastage. The process on recycling home furnishing waste is the same as for apparel waste, which includes collection, sorting, and processing. In home furnishing waste, the materials are usually complexly mixed, even blended fabrics, hence, being difficult, at times, for recycling. Automotive waste is small but interesting to note a source of textile waste in Spain. Automotive textiles, such as seat covers, carpets, and airbags, are produced to specific performance and safety requirements and therefore require a specialized form of treatment in their recycling process. Automotive textile waste can readily be recycled through mechanical or chemical processing based on what it is composed of. Other sources of textile wastes in Spain, therefore, are industrial textiles such as filters, geotextiles, and institutional textiles, including hospital linens and uniforms. The recycling of some of these streams is done minimally and poses a special challenge in the sense that they are really specialized streams, which could be be contaminated, and due to that, they will perhaps need a special recycling process to achieve effective recycling from them. For instance, the Spanish government enacted waste management plans and programs into extended producers' responsibilities that serve as a way of stimulating textile recycling. Additionally, organizations such as Ecoembes and the Spanish Textile Recycling Association (ARET) are significantly involved in collecting, sorting, and recycling textile waste in Spain.

The Spanish market for textile recycling is growing massively, following enormous developments in mechanical and chemical recycling processes. This growth can be attributed to the very fact that environmental awareness has risen, the pressure of the regulations has increased, and the textile industry looks forward to achieving sustainability. Today, it continues to be the main process by which textiles in the Spanish sector are recycled. Mechanical recycling is widely used for post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste in that reconstitution of textiles as fibers by means of cutting, shredding, and carding. Companies like Hilaturas Ferre have been protagonists in the development of products like the RECOVER line of recycled cotton yarns. This mechanical process comes quite in handy with the natural fibers of cotton and wool, since they can easily be broken down to be respun to create new yarns. With the synthetic fibers and blended fabrics, it has very many limitations more often, it results in downcycling rather than real circular recycling. Chemical recycling itself is still in its early stages but is gaining momentum and displaying promising growth in Spain. This process involves the breakdown of the fibers of textiles at a molecular level, thus allowing for really complex fiber blends and synthetic materials to be recycled, which are difficult to process mechanically. Spanish companies and research institutions are betting heavily on developing and scaling up technologies related to chemical recycling. For instance, the goal of the RESYNTEX project, in which Spain participates, is a new idea in the context of the circular economy for the textile and chemical industries. This would facilitate chemical recycling, from which fiber qualities be provided that surpass virgin material, thus overcoming one of the main limitations of mechanical recycling. Spain continues to be a chemical growth market because of the solid chemical industry and growing collaboration between textile manufacturers, recyclers, and chemical companies. For this, the projects like the Circular Economy Implementation Strategy in Spain are setting an enabling framework. In addition, Spanish textile companies are working with the providers of state-of-the-art international technologies in the implementation of chemical recycling solutions.

The Spanish textile recycling market grows rapidly, most focus is given to post-consumer textile waste, while pre-consumer growth is also recognized. It means that increasingly, post-consumer textile waste entailing all the discarded garments and household textiles in the issues takes a center place among issues for sustainability in the country. Spain generates huge quantities of textile waste, many times estimated to reach 1.6 million tonnes per year that goes to landfill. This only leaves a 10% recycling rate of these textiles, demonstrating a huge opportunity for improvement while the country is looking to improve its circular economy and reduce landfill contributions. Organizations such as Caritas and Fundación Humana give a much-needed service in collecting post-consumer textiles for reprocessing and recycling. In this case, Caritas has organized various collection points across the country, thereby making it easy for people to donate used clothing and other textiles. This has been aided by the Spanish government, which enacted regulations pertaining to the recycling of such products and provisions made for manufacturers to contribute to the process of recycling. The other originates from production scraps and defective products created during manufacturing; this now holds huge and increasing potential for business. Companies like Recover™ are pioneers in recycling this waste into high-quality fibers. With more than 75 years of experience, Recover™ develops new processes to turn textile waste into sustainable materials; this way, it gives a major boost to the attainment of a circular economy. Besides, in Spain, many companies in textile recycling are specialized in recycling industrial textiles and cleaning cloths, such as Marvitex and Trapos Los Pozicos.

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.