Taiwan's textile industry is shifting from the familiar "PET bottle to clothing" model toward the more challenging "clothes-to-clothes" closed loop. According to statistics from the Resource Circulation Administration under the Ministry of Environment, Taiwan's annual textile waste recycling volume reaches as high as 82,000 metric tons, but only 30-40% can be resold. A large volume of clothing is difficult to reuse due to soiling, damage, or blended materials, ultimately ending up in incinerators or landfills.

Wu Hsiao-ting, Section Chief of the Recycling Promotion Division at the Resource Circulation Administration, pointed out that textile waste currently suffers from oversupply, with the public discarding clothing too quickly, while the international secondhand clothing market is shrinking as countries develop economically. To break through this dilemma, the Administration established the Textile Circular Alliance, connecting recycling operators, fiber manufacturers, brand retailers, and academic research institutions. As of June 2026, 97 members have joined, with the goal of building a truly closed-loop recycling system.

In 2026, the Resource Circulation Administration launched the "Circular Mark," with textiles listed as the first category for promotion. Unlike the higher-threshold Environmental Protection Mark, this mark is positioned as "universal." It currently requires a minimum of 5% recycled fiber content, with plans to gradually raise this to 10% and 15% as the market matures. To obtain the mark, businesses must provide documentation including proof of recycled material ratios and purchase quantities, subject to review by the Ministry of Environment, preventing manufacturers from relying solely on self-declared "green" labels.

The policy also promotes the construction of "full circular recycling plants." In the future, after textile waste is collected, machines will automatically identify materials, selecting single or high-purity fabrics to be processed into fiber raw materials for supply to yarn manufacturers. To reduce recycling difficulty at the source, the Resource Circulation Administration is collaborating with design schools to advocate for single-material designs from the design stage, reducing complex accessories, and avoiding blends and coatings that affect recycling efficiency.

At the practical level, Taoyuan Airport Corporation's work uniforms have adopted single-material designs. After collection by suppliers, they are linked to recycled yarn manufacturers, forming a near-closed-loop model. The Resource Circulation Administration hopes to establish stable demand through green procurement of public and private sector uniforms and event vests, driving the downstream recycling and regeneration industry chain. In the future, a "Digital Product Passport" system is also being planned, intended to align with EU requirements and help Taiwan's textile supply chain connect with international markets.

For the industry, Taiwan is using this approach to explore a new path of "policy-driven circular economy" amid the textile waste disposal dilemma. The industry needs to continue investing in sorting, recycled fiber quality consistency, and recycling capacity to move "clothes-to-clothes" from a few cases to scale, completing a true closed-loop transformation.

Source: 舊衣一年8.2萬公噸爆量！循環標誌上路，台灣拚「衣到衣」新循環｜TVBS GOOD · Originally published 2026-08-19