Amsterdam-headquartered Fashion for Good is expanding its Sorting for Circularity framework with the new 18-month Rewear Project which will test automated sorting technologies using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to optimise the identification of rewearable garments.

The project will involve some of the largest industrial textile sorters in Europe, including Erdotex, ModaRe, Humana People to People Baltic and Wtorpol.

It is receiving catalytic funding from brand partners adidas, Bestseller, Bonprix, C&A, Inditex, Levi Strauss, Otto Group, PVH and Zalando. Circle Economy Foundation will lead the creation and implementation of the methodology, with support from Consumption Research Norway, Oslo Metropolitan University and Revaluate.

Volumes

Global textile production and consumption have doubled over the past 15 years, while the number of times a garment is worn has dropped by 40%, averaging only seven uses. The amount of used textiles exported from the European Union has meanwhile tripled over the last two decades from slightly over 550,000 tons in 2000 to almost 1.7 million tons in 2019, and the fate of these garments is highly uncertain. Many receive the designation of ‘fit for reuse’ and are later sold to second-hand stores across Europe or export markets like Africa or Asia.

However, due to the sheer volume and the lack of understanding of demand and criteria for resale across the industry, many ultimately end up in waste streams, landfills or are incinerated.

Legislative changes

As legislative changes loom in the EU, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes mandating accountability on garments placed on the market, and the Waste Shipment Regulation imposing stricter restrictions on textile exports outside EU borders, the volume of collected and exported textiles will continue to increase, underscoring the urgency for comprehensive solutions.

“As our Sorting for Circularity framework expands, we’ll be able to address the root cause of shifting the waste burden elsewhere,” says Katrin Ley, managing director of Fashion for Good. “Addressing this requires an agreed-upon framework for quality and resale potential in key export regions as well as developments in using AI sorting. This consortium will provide crucial insights for policy developments and investments.” 

“With this project, we hope to clarify the myths and half-truths on post-consumer waste dumping, but also salvage a lot by understanding the processes and journeys these garments travel,” adds Marieke Koemans-Kokkelink, head of sustainability at Erdotex.

Highest value

While current near infrared (NIR) technology can determine garment composition, the task of assessing re-wearability is largely manual.  Automatically collecting product information such as colour, style, garment type and quality will enable sorters and brands to make better decisions and sort efficiently based on product data and criteria from local, European and export resale market requirements, optimising the flow of textiles to achieve their highest value potential.

To ensure accuracy and representation in capturing data on the flow of textiles within the EU and export markets, the project will focus on countries in specific geographical regions of Europe, namely Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

The findings from the project will be shared in a report with a supporting business case and implementation roadmap to inform investment decisions in infrastructure, circular business models and repair centres.

The Rewear Project builds on Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity framework initiated in 2021 and subsequently launched in Europe, India and the United States aimed at harmonising the collection, sorting and recycling industries in order to advance textile-to-textile recycling technologies and the resale industry.

www.fashionforgood.com