As part of a NIST initiative on Facilitating a Circular Economy for Textiles, we are planning to host a workshop to discuss challenges, gaps, and needs regarding textile circularity. The workshop participants, consisting of industrial, academic, nonprofit, and government stakeholders will discuss means for creating value via the circular economy, and among other issues, what data and standards might be necessary to accomplish this goal.
Potential topics for the workshop include:
Brand perspectives on textiles and the circular economy (e.g., consumer opinions on circularity, marks or certification of circular processes)
Technical challenges and needs for chemical recycling of textiles (e.g., availability of methods, feedstock contamination)
According to Jackie King, the executive director of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles international trade association research, 95% of all clothes that are thrown away could have been repurposed, reused, or recycled.