A glossary of terms relating to textile recycling to inform guests attending the UKFT Sustainability Conference 2025.

Biological recycling: Biological recycling uses enzymes and micro-organisms to break down textile waste into its constituent components, which can then be used to create new materials.

Chemical recycling: Chemical recycling is the process of converting textile waste materials back into their basic building blocks, i.e. to the polymer or monomer level, using processes such as glycolysis, hydrolysis and methanolysis. This can also involve purification by removing dyes and contaminants. These building blocks can then be re-polymerised back into new material.

Closed-loop recycling: Refers to the recycling of materials from one industry to create outputs for use in the same industry.

Disruptor: An element on clothing or textile products that disrupts the recycling process, such as buttons and zips. These usually need to be removed before the product can be recycled.

Downcycling: The process of recycling textiles to create a product of lower value or quality than the original (e.g. recycling clothes and home textiles into industrial rags). This can be within the same industry or using materials from one industry to create outputs for another industry.

End-of-life (EoL): End-of-life refers to the stage when textiles are considered to be no longer usable, reusable or recycled, and are destined for waste management, which can include incineration or landfill.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): An approach either led by policy or industry, where producers are held accountable for the lifecycle of textile products, particularly their end-of- life management.

Fibre to fibre recycling: A recycling process in which textile waste is processed into recycled textile fibres.

Mechanical recycling: A type of recycling, where materials are mechanically processed and converted into recycled fibres. This includes processes such as cutting and shredding.

Non-reusable post-consumer textiles (NRTs): Post-consumer textiles that are not suitable for reuse or repair. These textiles need to be collected, sorted, and processed for recycling to divert them from ending up in energy recovery, incineration or landfill.

Open-loop recycling: Referring to the recycling of materials where inputs from one industry are recycled into outputs for another industry.

Post-consumer textiles: Textiles that have been used by an end-user and then discarded, including textiles generated by households or by industrial, commercial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users (e.g. hotel bed linens, uniforms, tablecloths).

Residual waste: Refers to waste that is not suitable for reuse or recycling and is typically disposed of and treated through incineration or landfill.

Residual textile waste: Waste textiles that end up mixed in residual waste and are consequently managed similarly to other residual waste streams, mainly incineration or landfill.

Reusable post-consumer textiles (RTs): Post-consumer textiles that have been used by an end-user and are ready to be discarded but are still in a reusable condition in their current form or with minimal repair.

Sorting: The process used to assess the suitability of textile waste for reuse or recycling. Items are sorted into different grades based on quality and end market, and can be sorted by product type, fibre type and colour. This is usually a manual process, but automated sorting processes are being developed.

Textile recycling: The process of converting textile waste into new materials or products.

Thermomechanical recycling: A recycling method using heat and pressure to melt thermoplastic textiles, such as polyester and nylon. This allows the polymers to be recovered and re-spun into new fibres.

Waste management: Waste management includes the activities and processes involved in collecting, handling, processing, sorting, and transporting waste materials from their point of generation to their final disposal location. For textiles, this could include collection and processing of reusable textiles for reuse and non-reusable textiles for recycling or disposal.

For more, read UKFT’s National Textile Recycling Infrastructure Plan here.

UKFT SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE 2025