Bang the drum for textiles – it’s now or never

It’s a critical time for textiles recyclers who need ‘all hands on deck’ across the value chain, insists Dawn Dungate, director of sustainability for East London Textiles (ELT). The textiles expert, who is also director of the national Textiles Recycling Association, is calling for urgent action to save her industry.

How much textile scrap does ELT handle per year?

‘We reuse the majority, around 12 500 tonnes per year. Around 10% of our total volume goes for recycling. The exact numbers fluctuate somewhat during the year but by no more than 5%. Collected clothes, mostly coming in from charities and municipalities, are classified into three groups: reuse, rags and fibre. I’m glad to say we are still able to extend the life cycle for most pieces by ensuring they are reused abroad.’

What are your top five export countries?

‘Most of the material goes to Kenya and Ghana, with a few containers a year sent to Togo and Ivory Coast. Poland and Ukraine are two other important markets. This is due to the similar weather, obviously. Thick sweaters don’t make much sense in Africa. Pakistan is another growing export market. We’re exploring providing some recycling grades to South Asian markets but it’s still very early days.’

What is the quality of the material ELT typically receives?

‘It’s going downhill fast because of fast fashion. Something consumers don’t realise is that the quality of high-end clothing is going down as premium brands feel they must compete with bulk sale retailers. So, it’s not just the t-shirts and jeans sold at popular stores like Primark that are leading to lower quality material.’

‘There is a knock-on effect across the industry that has been getting worse over the past 15 years. I analysed the material we collected historically and compared it to our current collections. Turns out, the loss in quality from high street brands is at about 20% since the arrival of fast fashion. We received 68% top grade material, now it’s down to about 45%.’

‘This influx of low-grade material is driving operational costs through the roof. It’s making it very hard for small and medium-sized recycling businesses to survive.’

Could you name the most urgent challenges?

‘There are many. For one, there is talk of some European countries halting textile sorting operations. We still do all our grading in-house, thanks to an incredible team of 70 manual sorters. It’s rare to see this these days – there are only a handful of sorting players left in the UK. Now France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Austria have proposed a ban on the export of “used” textiles within the EU.’

‘This signals a significant shift in policy – one that is going backwards. Besides that, there are urgent logistics concerns. The crisis in the Red Sea, which is disrupting shipping lines, has significantly escalated operational costs for textile merchants.’

Is there any silver lining to cling to?

‘I’m not sure, to be honest. Without proper legislative support and financial backing there may not be a UK textiles recycling industry next year. I am completely serious. We are under so much pressure, facing financial collapse and no one is paying attention. That’s why we needed to sound the alarm and get people talking, get people involved.’

‘The mainstream media isn’t much help either. I’ve sent out so many press releases, put out calls… yet big platforms like the BBC have not covered anything. They do run stories on “toxic microplastics” and innovative recyclers like Renewcell filing for bankruptcy. This negative press cycle is so one-sided and highly frustrating.’

If you could change anything now, what would it be?

‘We need end-of-life textiles to be a priority. Recyclers are used to waiting at the back of the line. It would be a game-changer if politicians would finally see the value in the hard work we do. To establish clear and fair rules, call for extended producer responsibility schemes and offer financial relief now it’s so urgently needed. In the UK, however, it’s unlikely to happen in the next few months. The parties are campaigning for elections and recycling isn’t trendy enough, it won’t win too many votes.’

Imagine someone gave you a blank cheque. What would you need to turn things around?

‘Oh, I’d love that! It would be a number with a lot of zeroes, I can tell you that now. You’d have to set up a hub of at least ten advanced sorting plants and they’d cost £20 million (EUR 23 million) each, easily. Then factor in staffing, licensing, infrastructure, you name it. We’re closing in on half a billion already. Please note that the money has to 100% go to the graders and sorters, the physical collectors – not the retailers.’

What’s your next move?

‘I love advocating for the industry, which is an underdog even in the recycling arena. To continue my campaign, I set up a textile recycling consultancy this year. My aim is to attract more funding into the textiles sector that way, as well as government support. Something has to change, now. I will bang the drum for textiles as long and hard I as can to make that happen.’