The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP) published a blogpost, penned by Secretary General Lutz Walter, reflecting on insights from the first-ever Textiles Recycling Expo in Brussels. While there was optimism about progress, the author cautions against expecting a smooth transition to a fully circular textile economy. He uses a maritime metaphor - a journey across turbulent seas to describe a future filled with ‘choppy waters’, stormy interludes, and shifting regulatory signals that will not serve as reliable beacons along the way.

Lutz Walter highlights the multiple challenges ahead: the need to scale recycling technologies, secure clean feedstock, stimulate genuine market demand, and align a fragmented supply chain. Addressing these is essential to constructing a viable textile-to-textile recycling system, but the path is ‘anything but straightforward’.

You can read the full blogpost on the Textile ETP website.