Textile waste

Textile waste refers to discarded textile materials generated across the lifecycle of clothing, footwear, household fabrics, industrial textiles and production processes. It includes pre-consumer waste, such as fabric offcuts, defective items and unsold stock, as well as post-consumer waste, such as used clothing, linens, carpets and other textile products that are thrown away, donated, collected or exported. Textile waste can arise from overproduction, fast fashion, poor product quality, changing consumer habits and limited repair or reuse options. In a circular economy, textile waste management prioritizes prevention, longer product use, repair, resale, donation, fibre recovery and recycling before disposal. Poorly managed textile waste can contribute to landfill use, incineration emissions, microfibre pollution and the export of low-quality materials to countries with limited waste infrastructure.