Improving recycling of textiles based on lessons from policies for other recyclable materials: A minireview

Abstract Textile consumption has significantly increased, and textile encompasses about 5% of landfill. The EU circular economy package adopted in 2018 will for the first time require separate textile waste collection. However, there is a need for a cooperative introduction of several policies in order to significantly turn down the textile disposal worldwide. The aim of this paper is to give an overview over policies and incentives within recycling and reuse showing to be effective for increased recycling of various materials. Detailed analysis of literature available about policies and incentives applied within the waste management for metals, paper, glass and plastic has shown that most of the regulations can directly be applied in textile industries and to affect the consumer behaviour. Tax relief and rewarding policies shown to be effective both for environment friendly production of materials and for improved consumer behaviour. Awareness of consumers can also be increased with implementation of policies, including labelling for recycling. Challenges within textile recycling are also analysed and briefly discussed. Thus, the present paper can be a helpful guideline for the development of policies within textile waste management.