Research from UKFT and the University of Leeds, found that the total post-consumer and industrial textile flow amounts to approximately 3,264 kt each year, split evenly between fashion (1,599 kt) and non-fashion (1,665 kt) materials.
According to UKFT, this underscores a critical gap, with non-fashion textiles – covering sectors including healthcare, hospitality, automotive and public services – often excluded from debates and investment on circularity, despite being at least as large a challenge as fashion waste.
Adam Mansell, CEO of UKFT, commented: “This report highlights that non-fashion textiles represent a significant, and often underestimated, component of the UK’s textile waste stream.
“Addressing these flows is essential for achieving a truly circular textile economy.”
Barriers to textiles circularity
The report identifies non-fashion textile flows across three main waste streams: post-consumer household, post-consumer commercial, and post-industrial. Within households, this included home textiles and carpets, bedding, towels, curtains, drapes and upholstery.
Commercial and industrial non-fashion textiles encompass a wide range of applications, from safety belts and airbags to uniforms, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical dressings, hygiene products and by-products generated during textile manufacturing processes.
The research pointed to several barriers hindering a circular system for non-fashion textiles, including lack of reliable data and little transparency on waste compositions, markets or redistribution.
Infrastructure is also insufficient, as most non-fashion textiles are still disposed of via municipal waste, leading to incineration or landfill.
Fragmentation across sectors such as healthcare, automotive and hospitality limits collaboration and knowledge exchange, restricting opportunities for joint solutions.
Reuse is further complicated by hygiene requirements, contamination, chemical treatments and brand restrictions, while recycling is hampered by the complex compositions and finishes of many non-fashion products.
Need for investment and collaboration
The report sets out a series of recommendations to improve the circularity of non-fashion textiles:
- Establish standardised reporting frameworks and encourage public-private initiatives to track textile flows and compositions
- Invest in infrastructure to expand collection, sorting and recycling systems for commercial and industrial streams, backed by innovations in reverse logistics
- Foster platforms for cross-sector collaboration between healthcare, automotive, hospitality, local authorities and other industries
- Prioritise advanced recycling solutions for contaminated materials and complex fibre blends, recognising the limitations of reuse
- Support research and development in recyclable and bio-based alternatives for technical textiles, embedding circular design from the outset
Mansell added: “This research provides a critical evidence base for policymakers, industry and researchers to act, emphasising the need for cross-sector collaboration, infrastructure investment, and innovative solutions.
“Only by broadening our focus beyond fashion can the UK fully reduce the environmental impact of its textile industry and advance a sustainable, circular future.”
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