China processes over 50 million tons of textile fibers annually, but the reuse rate of discarded clothing is only 10%, with more than 70% incinerated or landfilled. Zhang Lifang, vice chairman of the Changzhi Municipal CPPCC, suggested that relevant departments should establish new-old standards, hygiene standards, and processing procedures for old clothing donations, and clarify the recycling entities and regulatory mechanisms to promote comprehensive circular utilization of old clothing recycling.

Key Points

  • In the first three quarters of 2021, domestic retail sales of clothing products reached 691.8 billion yuan. Recycling and reusing old clothes can additionally yield 12 million tons of chemical fibers and 6 million tons of natural fibers annually, saving 24 million tons of crude oil.
  • In 2018, 22% of China's recycled old clothes were made into crop insulation materials, and 18% became raw materials for recycled industrial production.
  • Currently, old clothing recycling faces three major obstacles: public awareness remains at the stage of charitable donations, market acceptance of recycled fiber products is low, and the recycling process lacks government regulation and guidance.

Potential and Current Status of Old Clothing Recycling

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first three quarters of 2021, cumulative domestic retail sales of clothing products reached 691.8 billion yuan. As new clothing consumption continues to grow, the stock of old clothes rises in tandem. However, only 10% of all discarded clothing is truly reused, with over 70% incinerated or landfilled.

Experts estimate that if old clothes were fully recycled and utilized, China could additionally obtain 12 million tons of chemical fibers and 6 million tons of natural fibers annually, directly reducing farmland occupation by 20 million mu, saving 24 million tons of crude oil—equivalent to 5% of the national total crude oil imports—and indirectly reducing 80 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Recycled fibers are already widely used in manufacturing fields such as automotive soundproof cotton, building decoration soundproof cotton, agricultural greenhouse insulation cotton, and recycled fabrics. In 2018, 22% of recycled old clothes were made into crop insulation materials, and 18% became raw materials for recycled industry.

Why Recycling Is Stalled

The slow progress in old clothing recycling has three root causes. First, the public has long equated old clothing recycling with charitable donations. As a moderately prosperous society is fully built, remote areas in need of donations are gradually disappearing, but traditional attitudes have not shifted accordingly, making commercial uses difficult to develop.

Second, although recycled fibers have ideal application results, the chemical reduction cost is relatively high, and consumers generally perceive recycled fibers as "old, unclean, and unsafe," leading to low market acceptance. Clothing brands therefore lack motivation to promote them, and insufficient demand causes recycling to lose market support.

Third, the recycling process lacks government regulation. Residents do not know where to send old clothes, and community recycling bins are often exploited by unscrupulous merchants; enterprises interested in entering the recycling industry face a lack of guidance on license applications, business operations, and connecting the industrial chain.

Policy Support and Industry Recommendations

China implemented the Renewable Energy Law in 2006, but old clothing recycling lacks supporting provisions, and many cities have yet to establish effective systems for recycling, processing, and reuse.

Zhang Lifang, vice chairman of the Changzhi Municipal CPPCC, proposed that discarded clothing should be made into products such as recycled fiber fabrics, engineering insulation cotton, agricultural insulation quilts, and car cushions through screening, sorting, cleaning, disinfection, separation, and processing, forming a renewable resource industry that increases output value and tax revenue and creates some employment. She suggested that relevant departments formulate new-old standards, hygiene standards, and processing procedures for donated clothing to ensure that charitable aid clothing meets safety and psychological acceptance requirements.

This publication believes that the healthy development of old clothing recycling requires collaboration between the government and citizens. At the government level, recycling entities and standards should be clarified, corresponding regulatory departments should be set up to address the chaos of recycling bins, preferential support should be given to enterprises developing recycled fibers, and environmental knowledge should be popularized through media to enhance market recognition of recycled materials, allowing low-carbon concepts to take root.

Source: Old Clothing Recycling: Comprehensive Circular Utilization Needs Strengthening · Originally published on 2020-12-07