Is chemical recycling the key to a circular textile value chain?

Chemical recycling offers a way to manage complex textile and plastic waste while reducing reliance on fossil resources. But how far has development come, and how integrated is the technology in industry?

Moderator Anna Edsberger, researcher at RISE, introduced the webinar by highlighting chemical recycling as a key to a more circular value chain. To illustrate applications, two companies participated: Rewin, developing fiber-to-fiber recycling for mixed polyester waste, and Autoneum, showing how mono-material solutions enable circularity in the automotive sector.

Why chemical recycling is needed

Polyester makes up a large share of textile waste, often in blends or dyed fabrics unsuitable for mechanical recycling, which requires clean streams. Chemical recycling breaks polyester into monomers that can be rebuilt into virgin-quality polyester, enabling reuse of textiles that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled.

“This is not a stand-alone solution. Reducing environmental impact also requires renewable energy in production and reduced water use. But circulating materials is essential, and here chemical recycling is a key part,” says Anna Edsberger.

Cost and environmental impact

Chemical recycling provides high-quality material but is more costly than mechanical methods due to energy use, chemical handling, and purification. Large-scale investment is needed, and the technology is not yet commercially established in Europe.

Still, the environmental benefits are clear. By producing monomers from waste polyester, virgin fossil-based production decreases, saving emissions and avoiding incineration. The technology’s cost-effectiveness depends on textile collection, process efficiency, and integration into existing value chains.

The technology behind recycled polyester

The term “chemical recycling” covers several advanced techniques, each with the potential to reshape how we deal with textile waste. To understand what it actually entails, it’s necessary to look closer at the methods used to break down polyester into its components.

Chemical recycling is based on solvolysis, where a liquid, often with catalysts, is used to break down polymer chains in a controlled manner. The result is monomers that can be re-polymerized into new polyester with properties equivalent to virgin material.

Depending on the chemicals and conditions used, several established solvolysis methods exist:

Glycolysis

The most common method. PET is broken down into BHET using glycol. Relatively simple and suitable for industrial scale. Some indications suggest slightly lower monomer purity compared to other techniques.

Methanolysis

PET is broken down into DMT using methanol under high pressure. Produces high purity but requires advanced equipment.

Hydrolysis

PET is broken down into TPA and ethylene glycol with water in acidic or alkaline conditions. Flexible with high yield, but typically consumes large amounts of process chemicals.

Enzymatic degradation

Enzymes selectively break down PET. Promising technology with low energy consumption, but still at the pilot stage.

Collaboration crucial for scaling up

Beyond technical advances, scaling up requires cooperation across research, industry, and policy. During the webinar, Rewin presented a catalyst-based process that reduces costs and climate impact, with a pilot plant planned for 2025/26. Autoneum showed how switching to 100% polyester in car components enables both chemical and mechanical recycling. These examples demonstrate how design and process innovations can move technology toward commercial use.

Legislation as an enabler

The EU’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will make producers finance collection, sorting, and recycling. Eco-modulated fees will reward recyclable design and penalize hard-to-recycle products.

“Legislation is crucial. Without clear collection and sorting requirements, recycling will not take off. But we also need investments, competence, and collaboration to build capacity,” Anna emphasizes.

Similar policies exist for plastics under the EU Plastics Strategy, requiring 55% recycling of packaging by 2030. Like textiles, plastics face challenges with blends and additives, and chemical recycling is seen as an important complement to mechanical methods.

From technology to system change

Chemical recycling is not a quick fix but a necessary component for textiles unsuitable for mechanical recycling. The technology exists, pilots are running, and policy is moving forward. Remaining challenges are profitability, maturity, business models, and collection.

“We see progress, but more than technology is needed. Legislation, investments, and collaboration will create a functioning value chain,” concludes Anna Edsberger.

Chemical recycling can transform textile waste from a burden into a resource. The question is no longer whether it is needed, but how quickly it can scale to drive system-wide change.

Watch the webinar here.