sustainability
Editorial
Sustainable Fashion and Textile Recycling
Hanna de la Motte 1, * and Asa Ostlund 2
Citation: de la Motte, H.; Ostlund, A.
Sustainable Fashion and Textile
Recycling. Sustainability 2022, 14,
14903. https://doi.org/10.3390/
su142214903
Received: 24 October 2022
Accepted: 7 November 2022
Published: 11 November 2022
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Sustainability 2022, 14, 14903. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214903
1 RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, SE-412 58 Gothenburg, Sweden
2 Tree to Textile, SE-101 23 Stockholm, Sweden
* Correspondence: hanna.delamotte@ri.se
The clothing and textile industry is a resource-intensive industry, and accounts for 3 to
10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the industry is extremely linear
and generates vast amounts of waste.
For the industry to move from a linear to a circular economy, several solutions are re-
quired along the value chain upstream by working with resource efficiency and preventing
waste, and downstream with techniques for sorting and recycling. In addition, solutions for
traceability and transparency need to be developed, for example, through new standards,
and coordinated and accepted methodology for sustainability measurements.
By fundamentally changing the textile system, we can release the pressure that the
textile industry has on our planet in accordance with the needs of the United Nations
Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Simultaneously, the change can also contribute
to new business ecosystems and business opportunities.
This Special Issue (SI), “Sustainable Fashion and Textile Recycling”, intends to bring
together areas of knowledge along the textile value chain to highlight both the difficulties
and opportunities that exist both from a larger perspective and in specific detail issues.
The SI aims to highlight research and new insights in all parts of the value chain,
such as design for circularity, sustainable textile production, sustainable user behav-
ior, business models to prolong the life of garments, traceability, textile sorting and
recycling technologies.
In this Special Issue, the papers are mainly devoted to new research in traceability,
design, textile production and recycling.
Felice Diekel et al. (contribution number 5) emphasized an overall important issue
regarding traceability and transparency in combination with clarity, which will be an
important issue in the future to create trust in the textile transition. The aim of the paper
was to assess the selected labels regarding their strengths and weaknesses, as well as
their coverage of relevant environmental aspects over the textile life cycle. They applied
a characterization scheme to analyze seven selected labels and compared their focus to
the environmental hotpots. They found significant differences among the eco-labels, and
none of them covered all relevant aspects and impacts during the life cycle. This, in turn,
places high demands on consumers who must be aware of these limitations when making
purchase decisions.
The paper from Miriam Ribul et al. (contribution number 4) described the devel-
opment and application of a material-driven textile design methodology (MDTD). The
methodology provided a compelling argument for designers to be active in the materials
science laboratory to establish new circular materials-driven manufacturing and finishing
processes. Having created and applied the method in connection with the investigation
of regenerated cellulose and its changing properties over a longer period, the research
led to a transformation of the practice of interdisciplinary design and materials science
collaboration into one that integrates discipline-specific methods.
Using Korea’s aesthetic point of view as well as nature’s forms, textures and materials,
Seonju Kam (submission number 8) described a parametric design methodology that can
reflect knowledge-based data in the process of producing 3D-printed sustainable fashion
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
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products. It was determined in the paper that the process could extend the life of products,
and that it is possible to modify durable fashion products according to personal taste
by adjusting numerical values and to extract visual images based on knowledge of art
and culture.
The contribution by Hannah Auerbach George et al. (submission number 1) high-
lighted the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between sectors, with a particular focus
on the valuable information available within historical archives to meet modern sustainabil-
ity goals. From that perspective, they used Ardil fiber as a case study, showing that there
is a possibility that historical research can at present be helpful. Ardil was a British-made
product from peanuts and used as a source of protein. Technologies used in the processing
of Ardil could be used by countries and climates that currently produce large amounts of
peanut by-products and waste.
Ajinkya Powar et al. (submission number 3) used partial “gate to gate” life cycle
assessment (LCA) to study an ozone-based decolorization process of reactively dyed cotton
textiles. Experiments were conducted to determine the input and output flow rates for
the decolorization treatment of reactively dyed cotton textiles using the ozonation process.
Via the method, the environmental profile and the hotspots associated with it could be
discerned. The study paves the way for using ozone-based processes for textile processing
on an industrial scale. It also encourages thinking and developing technologies with a
lower ecological impact.
Most of the papers submitted to this Special Issue are concerned with different types
of recycling aspects.
Joséphine Riemens et al. (contribution number 7) highlighted the importance of
understanding the challenges that exist to improve textile recycling. To better understand
the barriers experienced, a Delphi study was conducted supplemented with Regnier’s
Abacus technique. In an iterative, anonymous and controlled feedback process, they
discussed these barriers, gathered from the existing literature, with a representative panel
of 28 experts. The lack of ecodesign practices, incentive policies and available and accurate
information about product components emerged as the most consistent challenges.
Paulien Harmsen et al. (submission number 6) embraced the important overarching
issue related to accurate information on product components, namely that of textile fiber
classification. Recycled raw materials will form a significant part of our future resources.
Textile recycling (especially for post-consumer waste) is still underdeveloped and will be a
major challenge in the coming years. Three problems that inhibit a better understanding of
the development of textile recycling are: the current classification of textile fibers does not
take recycling into account; there is no standard definition of textile recycling techniques;
and there is a lack of clear communication about technological progress and the benefits of
textile recycling. The paper presented a new fiber classification based on chemical groups
and bonds that makes it possible to unravel the logic and preferred recycling routes of
different fibers.
Katarina Lindström et al. (submission number 2) reported on a new method to pre-
serve the length of mechanically processed and recycled fibers, thereby better maintaining
their original properties. The aim of the study was to investigate whether a pre-treatment
with a lubricant could reduce fiber length reduction from tearing, which in turn could
facilitate recycled yarns with a higher proportion of recycled fibers. The study showed that
treating fabric with PEG enables rotor spinning of 100% recycled fibers. The inter-fiber co-
hesion test method suggested appropriate lubricant loadings, which were found to mitigate
tear hardness and facilitate fabric disintegration during recycling.
Another article by Hafeezullah Memon et al. (contribution number 11) also evaluates
the properties of the blended yarns produced from mechanically recycled textile and virgin
cotton for proportion optimization, and to verify if they can be used for denim fabric
production. In the work, they analyzed the results using Design-Expert software, and
with the help of a central composite design optimized the proportion between virgin and
recycled raw material.
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Finally, two articles are presented in series by Anna Peterson et al. (submission
number 10) and Jenny Bengtsson et al. (contribution number 9). The articles looked at the
possibility of separating viscose from polyester from a process perspective and reaction
kinetics perspective, respectively. The first paper used an iterative process between small-
scale experimental work and techno-economic and life-cycle analysis, which is considered
beneficial for developing recycling processes that are economically and ecologically feasible
and viable. The article also highlighted the importance of industrial symbioses to reduce
costs. The second article explored the separation chemistry itself as well as how the different
pretreatments and handling of the textiles can affect the separation.
All the valuable and interesting articles included in this Special Issue contribute to the
knowledge that is necessary for a transformation of the textile and fashion industry to take
place. Many studies, solutions and ideas need to be conducted to create the innovations
that will become the reality of our future. Additionally, we need to learn from each other
and take advantage of all the fantastic knowledge that is generated globally every day to
create a better future for the generations to come.

List of Contributions
1. Referencing Historical Practices and Emergent Technologies in the Future Develop-
ment of Sustainable Textiles: A Case Study Exploring “Ardil”, a UK-Based Regener-
ated Protein Fibre. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148414
2. Improving Mechanical Textile Recycling by Lubricant Pre-Treatment to Mitigate
Length Loss of Fibers. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208706
3. Environmental Profile Study of Ozone Decolorization of Reactive Dyed Cotton Textiles
by Utilizing Life Cycle Assessment. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031225
4. Material-Driven Textile Design (MDTD): A Methodology for Designing Circular
Material-Driven Fabrication and Finishing Processes in the Materials Science Labora-
tory. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031268
5. Life Cycle Based Comparison of Textile Ecolabels. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041751
6. Textiles for Circular Fashion: The Logic behind Recycling Options. https://doi.org/
10.3390/su13179714
7. A Delphi-Régnier Study Addressing the Challenges of Textile Recycling in Europe for
the Fashion and Apparel Industry. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132111700
8. Three-Dimensional Printing Fashion Product Design with Emotional Durability Based
on Korean Aesthetics. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010240
9. Chemical Recycling of a Textile Blend from Polyester and Viscose, Part II: Mechanism
and Reactivity during Alkaline Hydrolysis of Textile Polyester. https://doi.org/10.3
390/su14116911
10. Chemical Recycling of a Textile Blend from Polyester and Viscose, Part I: Process
Description, Characterization, and Utilization of the Recycled Cellulose. https://doi.
org/10.3390/su14127272
11. Investigation of the Physical Properties of Yarn Produced from Textile Waste by
Optimizing Their Proportions. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159453

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.