The world’s first automatic large-scale textile sorting plant is in Sweden

Over the past decade, the price of clothing has been in decline relative to inflation, and each item of clothing is in less use than in the past. So every year, about 5.8 million tonnes of textiles are discarded in the EU, or about 11 kg per person, much of which ends up in landfills or incinerators. The EU27 have already agreed to ban the destruction of unsold textiles.

On the other hand, textile recycling is becoming a relevant factor with quite a few protagonists on the market. One is the “Swedish innovation platform for textile sorting” Siptex. It’s the world’s first automatic large-scale textile sorting plant. Waste Management World talked to Anna Vilén, Head of Communication for Siptex, about the project and requirements for high-quality textile recycling.

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