China processes about 50 million tons of fiber each year and simultaneously produces over 20 million tons of waste textiles, but the comprehensive utilization rate is only around 15% — about 3 million tons are properly utilized, while the rest is mostly landfilled or incinerated.

Key points

  • Data from the China Circular Economy Association shows that China generates over 20 million tons of waste textiles each year (including old clothing, old home textiles, and scraps).
  • The comprehensive utilization rate of waste textiles is about 15%, meaning only about 3 million tons are properly utilized.
  • The unused portion mainly ends up in landfills or incinerators rather than being recycled into resources.

The above figures come from statistics compiled by the China Circular Economy Association. As the world's largest textile producer by yarn and fabric output, China has a massive volume of textile waste resources, yet the capacity to absorb them through recycling and reuse is clearly insufficient.

In terms of recycling pathways, old clothing suitable for resource recovery consists mainly of materials such as cotton-wool, cotton-polyamide, polyester, and acrylic. After entering professional environmental recycling plants, such old clothing undergoes processes including decomposition and processing to extract renewable resources such as fibers, polyester raw materials, and recycled cotton canvas. These materials are then designed and processed into practical products including eco-friendly bags, gloves, mops, and some labor protection supplies, completing the cycle from old clothes to new products.

Beyond these everyday products, recycled materials from old clothing have broader applications: agricultural insulation materials, soundproofing materials for construction and industry, and filling materials are all downstream fields that recycled fibers can enter.

From an industry perspective, the huge gap between the 15% comprehensive utilization rate and the 20 million tons generated annually shows that the collection network and recycling absorption capacity for waste textiles remain weak links. The portion not collected can only end up in landfills or incinerators, which stands in stark contrast to the scale of resource consumption in the textile industry itself — and means there is still considerable untapped potential in old clothing collection and recycling.

Source: Old Clothes, New Creations: The Green Transformation of Environmental Recycling · Originally published on 2025-06-23