Textile Exchange updates form for better tracing of textile waste across supply chain

Clothes made with a percentage of recycled fibres are a step ahead, especially if the recycled fibres are coming from textile feedstock rather than PET bottles, taken from a whole different industry. But this is where the problem lies.

“There is currently a lack of transparency around the origins of textile feedstock. At present, the industry cannot tell whether the recycled fibres it is using come from plastic bottles or from another source, and the data that is collected is often not classified or standardised efficiently,” states Textile Exchange.  

Thus, the non-profit organisation launched a project back in 2023 together with Fashion for Good and brand partners including Adidas, Target, Bestseller, Norrøna and Levi Strauss & Co. to harmonise data and system capabilities, using the Textile Exchange’s existing Reclaimed Material Declaration Form (RMDF), which verifies the source of the reclaimed material certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS).

Another aim was to standardise how textile waste data is collected and shared across the supply chain, using input from collectors, recyclers like Recover and Usha Yarns and certification bodies like Control Union. The project also explored integration with digital platforms like Reverse Resources to pre-fill data and reduce duplication, paving the way to a fully digital, interoperable traceability system.   

Reclaimed Material Declaration Form now gathers fibre details

In 2023, the RMDF gathered data including seller, shipment and product information such as the type of material, where it had come from and whether it was pre- or post- consumer. A key finding from the project was that the RMDF could be adapted to capture data in a standardised way to facilitate traceability. Integrating the form with systems used by recyclers was also key to avoid them having to enter data twice or even multiple times.

The revised RMDF, recently launched by the Textile Exchange, collects, standardises and classifies data on textile and non-textile waste and has expanded the information, now including fibre composition, colour, origin and source. It also lays the groundwork for future digitisation and scalable solutions in textile waste management. 

“Once collected, the data in the updated form will help brands to discern whether feedstock has come from recycled bottles or recycled textiles. With this greater transparency, brands will be able to increase the volume of recycled textiles used in their products and reduce the use of recycled bottles,” explains Textile Exchange. 

While the use of the new RMDF is optional for now, it will become part of Textile Exchange’s Trackit system in the future, which allows companies to verify the data they need to make product claims.