The EU‑funded T‑REX Project, which ran from June 2022 to May 2025, has wrapped up with a detailed blueprint for scaling textile‑to‑textile recycling. The roadmap brings together the work of 13 industry partners across Europe and captures what they’ve learnt through real world trials in recycling polyester, polyamide 6 and cellulosic materials.

The blueprint highlights what’s needed to scale textile-to-textile recycling. It points to key technical challenges like inefficient manual sorting and lack of high-quality waste textiles. Better automation, more efficient pre-processing, and a stable feedstock supply are seen as crucial next steps. Environmental impacts and business feasibility have also been considered throughout.

Policy support will be key to taking this forward. The project calls for consistent end-of-waste criteria, targets for recycled content, and shared definitions of recyclability. It also stresses the need for stronger financial and regulatory backing. Together with efforts in design, reuse and repair, this work aims to move the textile industry closer to a circular model.

Read the full reflection and access the blueprint via the official T‑REX website.