Fashion Takes Action (FTA), Canada’s non-profit fashion industry organization focused on sustainability, has released a new report on Canada's textile waste problem that includes recommendations for expanding recycling infrastructure, improving collection services, introducing extended producer responsibility (EPR), and engaging consumers in circularity.

Federal Trade Commission’s report, A Feasibility Study of Textile Recycling in Canada, shows how the country's textile waste continues to go unnoticed as a major source of landfilled plastics.

The report estimates that 160,000 tonnes of textiles produced entirely of synthetic fibers and 200,000 tonnes of synthetic-natural fiber mixes exist in the Canadian waste stream and require recycling based on this data and assumptions.

Surprisingly, the utilization of different fiber kinds varies depending on the textile category. While natural fibers predominate in apparel such as shirts, trousers, and towels, synthetic fibers are becoming increasingly popular in bedding or stuffed toys.

A technical assessment was carried out to compare appropriate technologies for developing a textile recycling business. Sorting, mechanical recycling, and chemical recycling were the three pre-defined categories or "classes" of technologies.

According to the report, when all of the data is considered, including feedstock, investment costs, product characteristics, and technological readiness, mechanical recycling emerges as the most viable method for establishing a textile recycling business in Canada.