Three reasons why circular textiles can’t work without data
In the shift to a circular textile system, it’s easy to focus on the visible parts—collection bins, sorting technology, recycling plants, resale platforms. But there’s an invisible layer that makes or breaks all of it: data.
Without reliable, shared data, municipalities, businesses, and recyclers are left guessing. With it, they can design smarter systems, reduce waste, and build the trust needed for citizens and companies to participate. We can’t really solve any of the problems at scale without data.
Here are three reasons why (and this is not an exhaustive list):
1. Data as the plumbing of circularity
Think of data like plumbing. If the pipes don’t connect, nothing flows. Right now, different actors use different terms and formats. For example, “pre-consumer waste” means one thing to a municipality, another to a recycler. That confusion clogs the system.
When actors across the chain use the same information in the same format—fibre composition, volumes, destinations—things move smoothly. For example, a European textile pre-processor once faced rejection rates of 25–30% because materials arriving didn’t match their needs. By measuring incoming deliveries and sharing results with suppliers, they cut rejects to below 5%. Same suppliers, same machinery, but better data.
Demo dashboard of TEXroad Data Hub—the interoperable platform connecting municipalities, circular value chain actors and businesses across multiple countries and within their local regions
2. Transparency builds trust
Citizens want to recycle, but they also want proof that their effort matters. Mapping where collected textiles go: what stays local, what is reused within the EU, and what is exported further afield and publishing those results reassures residents that their clothes aren’t disappearing into a black hole and gives policymakers evidence to refine the system.
With separate textile collection now mandatory across the EU, municipalities need this kind of transparency. Without trust, eliminating waste is not possible.
3. Data makes EPR fair and inclusive
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes will soon reshape how textiles are managed across Europe. But fairness depends on data. Without shared standards, smaller players—like social enterprises and SMEs—risk being sidelined while larger actors dominate.
Open, harmonised datasets level the playing field. They ensure that fees, responsibilities, and opportunities are distributed based on real flows, not assumptions. In other words, data is what makes EPR both effective and fair.
Busting the myth: data doesn’t need to be complex
Data doesn’t have to be complex or high-tech. In practice, it’s about asking basic questions: What textiles are collected? In what condition? Where do they go next? Even simple yes/no measurements (“in spec” or “out of spec”) can unlock efficiency. Once these basics are in place, municipalities and businesses can build toward more advanced digital tools and reporting systems.
The bottom line
Data isn’t an add-on to circular textiles—it’s the foundation. It makes systems efficient, transparent, and fair. It gives policymakers evidence, builds citizen trust, and ensures small and large actors alike can participate.
TEXroad is a partner of the STICT project, which aims to enhance EU textile circularity through local implementation and replication of best practices and harmonisation of European EPR systems. With their substantial expertise in textile data, TEXroad will work together with STICT municipalities to co-develop shared data sets, metrics and insights for municipalities and policymakers to be successful with separate textile collection and EPR across Europe.
Learn more about TEXroad: https://www.texroad.org
Cover photo: Credit Humana Estonia
