Expansion Issues in the Textile Recycling Market - October 2001

Expansion Issues in the Textile Recycling Market - October 2001

Around 2001, Japan's Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-Oriented Society came into effect, and the promotion of waste reduction and recycling became a national policy. However, in the textile industry, recycling had not progressed sufficiently due to its structural characteristics. Clothing and textile products are made from a wide variety of raw materials, such as cotton, wool, and polyester, and the blending ratios are diverse, and the distribution patterns are complicated, ranging from fast fashion to luxury brands. As a result, recycling mechanisms were dispersed, and the recycling rate was only 9.5% of the more than 1.71 million tons of textile waste generated annually in Japan.

In Germany, on the other hand, a high recycling rate of 62.8% had been achieved as of 2001, thanks to the development of street collections and voluntary regional systems led by NPOs and church groups. In Europe, a reuse market had already been established and the export and domestic circulation of used clothing had taken root in society, while Japan was only at the stage where the number of recycling stores and flea markets was increasing. Behind this was the entrenchment of a culture of disposable consumption due to the low prices of clothing, a sense of hygiene and psychological resistance to used clothing, and inadequate government systems.

The challenge at the time was how to expand consumer participation and establish stable collection routes and market infrastructure. Textile manufacturers and distributors also began to explore "design-for-recycling," introducing easily recyclable materials and single fiber products from the product design stage. Furthermore, local governments and NPOs were called upon to work together to establish a reuse culture in society, and the clothing sector's lagging position in a recycling-oriented society was seen as problematic. This awareness became the springboard for later criticism of fast fashion and the sustainable fashion movement (sustainable fashion).