University of Pretoria

Escalating volumes of post-consumer textile waste represent a critical sustainability challenge for the global fashion and textile industry. Each year, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated worldwide, with projections suggesting this could rise to 134 million tonnes annually by 2030.1 With less than 1% of textiles recycled into new clothing2, the transition toward circular economy models (prioritising reuse, repair, recycling, and closed-loop production) has become central to international policy3 and academic discourse.