China's waste textile recycling system remains underdeveloped, with a recycling rate of less than 10%. Yet this industry, seen by insiders as having hundred-billion-yuan market potential, faces multiple bottlenecks including recycling channels, missing standards, and low-end products.

Key Points

  • China generates over 20 million tons of waste textiles annually; during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, cumulative generation reached 140 million tons, with a recycling rate of less than 10%.
  • The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued a document proposing that by 2020, the total comprehensive utilization of waste textiles reach 9 million tons.
  • According to estimates, if the comprehensive utilization rate reaches 60%, about 9.4 million tons of chemical fibers and about 4.7 million tons of natural fibers could be produced annually.

Over 100 Million Tons of Waste Textiles Await New Life

Zhang Zhonglian, vice president and secretary-general of the Shandong Circular Economy Association, pointed out at the Second International Symposium on High-Value Utilization Technology of Waste Textiles held in Qingdao that as textiles become fast-moving consumer goods, the amount of waste textiles generated is rising year by year and has become a new source of waste. According to her, China generates more than 20 million tons of waste textiles annually. Whether landfilled or treated, this consumes substantial resources and easily causes secondary pollution. She said that although donation is a common channel for giving old clothes a new home, the donated volume is tiny and cannot change the predicament of old clothing waste.

Data provided by Cheng Huiqiang, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, shows that during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China's cumulative generation of waste textiles reached 140 million tons, while annual textile consumption growth remained above 12%, yet the recycling rate was less than 10%. It is expected that by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the generation of waste synthetic fiber textiles will reach 200 million tons. At the same time, as a major producer of textiles and apparel, China needs to import large quantities of textile raw materials every year. Cotton imports account for 30% of total processing volume, and jute fiber is almost entirely dependent on imports. According to estimates, if the comprehensive utilization rate of waste textiles reaches 60%, about 9.4 million tons of chemical fibers and about 4.7 million tons of natural fibers could be produced annually, equivalent to saving 18.8 million tons of crude oil and 1.089 million hectares of land, which would effectively ease the shortage of resources in the textile industry.

Waste Textile Recycling and Regeneration Faces Multiple Bottlenecks

The outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan clearly proposes accelerating the construction of a system for resource utilization and harmless treatment of waste textiles. The Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Renewable Resource Industry, jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, proposes that by 2020 the total comprehensive utilization of waste textiles reach 9 million tons. At present, China's waste textile recycling and reuse industry is in a period of rapid development, with the number of enterprises continuously increasing. Taking Shandong as an example, there are no fewer than 100 enterprises engaged in clothing recycling, and the province has more than 20,000 old clothing recycling bins.

However, Pan Yonggang, vice president and secretary-general of the China Renewable Resources Recycling Association, pointed out that policies and regulations concerning recycling channels for old clothing, treatment and processing, and inspection and quarantine of recycled products are still incomplete. There are no standards for products made from waste textiles as raw materials, making it difficult for them to enter the market. Industry insiders also mentioned that consumers have prejudices against recycled textile products. As soon as they hear that a product is made from old clothes, they associate it with "black-hearted cotton," and are even unwilling to use it as insulation quilts for greenhouses, which hinders the industry's development.

Zhang Zhonglian said that at present, the front-end recycling of the waste textile recycling and regeneration industrial chain is relatively mature, but the back-end extension of high added value has not leveraged its advantages. The industry remains at the traditional low-to-mid end, and product added value is relatively low. Relying solely on enterprise R&D investment is costly and will create bottlenecks for industry development. Qiu Yiwei, chairman of Zhongmin Guoxin Investment Fund Management (Beijing) Co., Ltd., pointed out that most renewable resource recycling enterprises operate in an extensive manner, with short industrial chains, single products, low production process thresholds, and obvious homogenization. The recycling volume of enterprises of a certain scale accounts for only 10% to 20% of the total recycling volume. The industry is prominently small, scattered, and poor, with a low degree of organization and weak market competitiveness.

Mobilizing "New Momentum" Requires Joint Efforts from Multiple Parties

Experts believe that waste textile recycling and regeneration is an industry with hundred-billion-yuan market potential and requires joint efforts from the government, industry associations, and enterprises, integrating intelligent manufacturing and modern technology to push the industry from the low-to-mid end toward the high end. Cheng Huiqiang gave an example: waste polyester fiber can be used to produce softening agents for textiles. After desizing, scouring, bleaching, and mercerizing, waste textiles can reach a cellulose content of 99% to 100%, making them an ideal raw material for bioethanol. The cross-integration and cross-boundary application of waste textiles with emerging technologies will create unlimited possibilities.

At the technical level, Qiu Yiwei believes that the most urgent need is to automatically classify waste textiles by fiber composition after recycling. Experts such as Zhang Zhonglian suggest formulating classification and recycling standards for waste textiles as well as quality standards for recycled products, bringing the industry onto a legalized and standardized track as soon as possible; building an industrialized and large-scale recycling system to reduce recycling costs; refining the division of labor in the industry to form a diversified industrial chain of recycling, sorting, and processed products; and accelerating the construction of an industrial chain with enterprises as the main body, the market as the guide, and the integration of industry, academia, research, and application to increase the added value of recycled products. A relevant official from the Shandong Provincial Economic and Information Commission suggested focusing on cultivating a group of leading enterprises and relying on their R&D capabilities, technical equipment, and standardized management to increase the total volume, industrial scale, and output value of waste textile recycling.

Source: How to Tap the Hundred-Billion-Yuan Market Potential of the Waste Textile Recycling and Regeneration Industry · Originally published on 2018-08-16