The rapid growth in awareness and attention towards sustainability has turned it into an “encyclopedic issue.” However, instead of fostering a collective direction, sustainability is beginning to feel more like wallpaper—something ever-present but lacking real substance. This is partly because it’s challenging to navigate between macro-objectives (like COP, SDGs, the Green Deal, Action Plan, Fit for 55…) that are scattered across hundreds of smaller, fragmented targets
This issue is also evident in the textile sector, particularly in fashion, which, contrary to popular belief, uses only half of the world’s total fiber production and contributes proportionally to greenhouse gas emissions. The fronts on which institutions, trade associations, companies, supply chains, and districts are working are numerous: promoting more conscious and careful consumption, eco-design, durability, reuse, repair, waste management, recycling, technological innovation, new materials, and a plethora of certifications. There may be too many initiatives to track their progress effectively. Alongside a lack of a clear direction in this highly fluid landscape, there are no established metrics or tools to measure the results achieved.
A similar disconnect between macro-objectives and detailed plans is also evident in managing the 12 kg of clothing and home textiles discarded per capita by EU citizens. Currently, only 1% of these waste products (around 100,000 tons) are recycled through fiber-to-fiber processes. Despite this, medium-term goals have been clearly defined at the EU level.
A recent McKinsey report (“Scaling textile recycling in Europe: Turning waste into value” – 2022) estimates that by 2030, with the adoption of near-industrial process innovations and the ongoing development of facilities for the collection, sorting, and treatment of textile waste, fiber-to-fiber recycling could increase to 26%—15 to 20 times the current levels. Such a scenario, combined with EU waste regulations and the upcoming implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), reveals bright opportunities for regions like the Prato textile cluster, which already boasts valuable expertise in recycling pre and post-consumer textile waste. However, in this arena, Prato, known as the “capital of rags” and carded wool, seems to be playing its own game. This is partly because wool fibers constitute only a small percentage of the textile waste that will finally stop ending up in landfills. Polyester and cotton will continue to dominate.
While the rest of Europe invests in technological research and partnerships between companies and research networks, Prato is more concerned—perhaps rightly so—with regulatory issues such as end-of-waste criteria and EPR, rather than technological innovations. After all, wool represents only 1% of global fiber production, and the demand for carded spinning mills struggles to reach the critical mass necessary to attract investments in R&D. The McKinsey report mentions a new technology, “soft mechanical recycling,” which is much more capital-intensive (up to ten times) than traditional methods but preserves fiber length during the shredding process, allowing the bypassing of roving preparation in assortments. Such an innovation could significantly change the game.
Regardless of future prospects, the carded spinning mills in the Prato Cluster have not been renewed in many years.
Historically, wool rag recycling peaked in the 1970s. Due to changes in lifestyle (another “superordinate” variable that might not be fully considered in macro-scenarios), the consumption of wool coats and blankets has literally collapsed. In 1985, there were 450 carded spinning mills active in Prato; today, only 60 are still in operation. Although interest in recycled wool yarns and fabrics has grown significantly in recent years, it remains a market for “winter” products. New investment projects, especially those concerning “assortments” (the long trains of cylinders that prepare the roving for the spinning mills), are hindered not only by the financial resources required but also by a regulatory framework for textile waste that is inexplicably punitive and by uncertainties about medium-term demand for products that, in addition to their pronounced seasonality, also suffer from the unpredictable whims of the fashion system. Some concern spreads when entrepreneurs of the Prato cluster talk about the short and medium term opportunities in the “market for rags”. Local companies fear they will not be able to capitalize on the potential growth due to bottlenecks in carded spinning capacity. According to McKinsey, to increase fiber-to-fiber recycling of textile waste from 1% to 26% by 2030, investments exceeding €6 billion will be needed. If the Prato district wants to maintain its proud position in recycling chains, it must embrace this reality.
In reality, the focus of Prato’s companies on the circular economy and sustainability extends far beyond the carded cycle.
Indeed, in Prato, with the crucial contribution of PNRR funds, a hub is being built for the selection and recycling of 36,000 tons of pre- and post-consumer textile waste. This facility will add to the network of companies already active in sorting used clothing within the district. Its contribution to the local carded wool sector will likely be limited by the (expected) modest quantity of wool present in the clothing collected for sorting.
The hub will leverage th “near-infrared scanning systems (NIRS)” technology, which allows for the automated sorting of textile waste based on fiber type and color. This is expected to introduce significant volumes of “secondary raw materials” into the market, potentially spurring new investments in “open loop” recycling systems. Continuing on the path of sustainability, we could also highlight, again referring to Prato, the innovative consortium projects involving water purification and recycling plants, the surprising proliferation of environmental certifications made possible by the influx of a new generation of sustainability experts into companies, and the participation of the local research center and training institutions in various European networks for research and innovation in the textile sector. Finally, it’s worth noting the presence, still within the cluster, of a handful of mechanical textile companies specializing in producing machinery for the mechanical recycling of textile waste. These companies keep alive and continually update the know-how developed in the mid-19th century for shredding rags.
Photo Credits: Noor Sethi by Unsplash
