Germany is facing an increasingly severe textile waste disposal challenge.
The German recycling industry is under growing pressure due to rising textile waste, worsening contamination, and a weak reuse market, all of which pose challenges to the country's circular economy. Recyclers are facing rising operating costs while demand for second-hand textiles and recycled materials remains persistently low.

Germany's annual per capita textile consumption is close to 19 kilograms, equivalent to about 1.56 million tonnes per year. Around 1 million tonnes of textile waste are collected each year, highlighting the scale of materials that need to be sorted, reused, or recycled.

The latest industry data show that the quality of collected textiles is also declining. The share of contaminants and non-textile waste in collection containers has climbed from 10.8% in 2018 to the current 15% to 20%. Higher contamination levels make sorting more costly and reduce the proportion of materials suitable for reuse or recycling.

Meanwhile, the share of collected textiles designated for reuse has fallen from 62% in 2018 to 44% in 2023. The proportion of mechanical and material recycling has risen to 35%, while energy recovery, including incineration, has nearly doubled from 12% to 21%.

To this end, the industry is calling for stronger economic incentives and policy support. The German Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management (BVSE) is demanding a binding 30% recycled content quota and reform of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system.

Policy direction at the EU level is also changing, with new textile extended producer responsibility rules being developed to make producers financially responsible for the collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling of textiles.

Source: Germany faces a circularity challenge as textile waste rises · Originally published on 2026-09-01