Case Study: Polyester as a Model for Circular Textile Solutions
What’s covered
How can we overhaul the textile system to keep resources in circulation? How can the supply chain of one material, like polyester, serve as a model to identify broader solutions for the entire textile industry?
Textile waste in the United States is staggering, with 17 million tons of textiles discarded annually—only 2.5 million tons of which is recycled, according to the US EPA. Polyester, traditionally derived from fossil fuels and the most widely used fiber around the world, is a key driver of textile waste but it also holds immense potential for circular solutions. Technological solutions play an important role, but they alone cannot solve the problem. Real progress will require collaboration across the entire value chain. In this tutorial, we’ll dive deep into the specific challenges and opportunities of polyester recycling and identify practical strategies you can take to accelerate the broader shift to a circular textile system, regardless of your place in the value chain.