The Textile Handling System in the Public Sector and NGOs in Denmark: How Circularity is Implemented in the Supply Chain of Textiles in the Danish Public Sector and NGOs?

Abstract

In order to achieve a sustainable used textile industry, there is a need to achieve circularity of the used clothes and textiles and their by-products from the textile industry and the end consumers. However, the increase of textile production and consumption has a significant environmental, climate and social consequences because of the use of limited resources, such as water and land in respect and resulting in emitting greenhouse gasses and pollutants back to our environment and the waste from the used textiles. In recent years, there is focus in collection of clothes, textiles and end life textiles, sorting, recycling and reusing them. Upcycling, downcycling and reusing textiles is a well-known method to give a new life to used and worn textiles and subsequently to decrease the environmental impact coming both from the textile industry and from the end consumers. The textile industry in the recent years, especially fast fashion has started to upcycle textiles in their own textile value chains to become more circular. This resourcefulness sounds very good, but it is important to do more in order to get better efficiency when it comes to reusing and upcycling textile products that are discarded. But also the end consumers, companies and organizations should also aim to recycle their clothes and textiles. As end consumers are referred both companies that use uniform for their employees and textiles in their work tasks and the private people who buy and use both clothes and home textiles. To accomplish this, there are many established initiatives in Denmark through the Region of Zealand, Capital Region, private companies like Amolia, volunteer organizations - NGOs and the organization Circular Industry Association – Brancheforening Circulær and the municipal waste company ARGO, with the purpose to achieve more effective waste management of discarded textiles and transition to a circular economy. By using a Circular Economy perspective, this project will outline the recycling textile handling activities of the public sector in Denmark and NGOs from both textile companies, public organizations and private consumers. Lastly, an analysis of the current used system, will be done in order to understand the difficulties and potentials in the shift to a more circular usage of recycled and wasted clothes and textiles.