It’s undeniable: We face a global textile waste problem. By 2025, global waste is expected to reach 92 million tonnes. Although much of it is still usable, clothing, home textiles, laundry and more often end up in landfills or incinerators at the end of their life cycle.
Circular systems can help curb this massive waste of resources: through professional care, repair, and reuse, the value of textiles is preserved, their lifespan extended, and the environment protected. The textile care industry has long been leading by example, showing how the concept works in practice.
The global population continues to grow—and with it, the demand for textiles and clothing. This growing need is met by steadily increasing fiber production. In 2023, global fiber production reached 124 million tonnes, according to the Materials Market Report by Textile Exchange, a U.S.-based NGO. If this trend continues, the volume of synthetic and natural fibers could rise to 160 million tonnes by 2030. That’s an unimaginably large amount—one that is rapidly becoming a serious environmental issue. After all, once their use phase ends, these fiber-based textiles turn into waste.
This growing challenge is shifting global focus toward one key question: How can we reduce this flood of waste?
Many countries have recognized that the traditional linear model must be replaced by a circular system. Instead of the fast fashion-driven “take-make-dispose” mindset, textiles and garments should be used repeatedly—and ideally further processed at the end of their life cycle.
One industry that has long embraced the circular model is professional textile care. Dry cleaners expertly wash, clean, waterproof, dye, and press virtually any item brought in by private households or commercial customers—from delicate silk saris to exclusive wedding gowns, from dress shirts and outdoor jackets to uniforms, from curtains to hotel guest linens. Many of these businesses also include tailoring services, offering repairs and alterations that help extend the life of textiles even further.
Pickup and Delivery Services Make Reuse More Convenient
Given long working hours in many countries, professional laundries no longer simply wait for customers to visit their shops and drop off their laundry. Instead, they now offer pickup and delivery services. Companies like LaundryTown in Asia, 2ULaundry in the U.S., or the widely used Dhobi Ghats in Indian cities ease the burden on their customers—and help the environment—with this convenient “collection service.”
Textile Services as a Blueprint for Circular Strategies
Textile services go one step further by offering complete laundry management for commercial businesses on a rental or leasing basis. These service providers own the hotel or hospital textiles, workwear, protective clothing, uniforms, or other reusable items, which are selected according to strict performance criteria and rented out to their customers. Their core services include collecting soiled laundry, professionally processing it, restoring protective and hygienic functions, performing final quality checks, and carrying out expert repairs when needed. They also support clients with equipment selection, fittings, alterations, branding, and volume adjustments. Once a contract ends, the rented textiles are returned to the provider and reused elsewhere.
This concept—built on maximizing the lifespan of textiles—has been adopted by industrial coalitions in the U.S., the China Association of Circular Economy (CACE), and the European Commission. In their strategies for sustainable and circular textiles, they promote practices such as repairing, reusing, and recycling to slow the growth of global “clothing mountains” through extended use.
An Almost Closed Loop
Last but not least, the second-hand trade must be acknowledged as an important component of a circular economy. In Europe, Canada, and the U.S., it enables individuals to resell their items through brick-and-mortar stores or online platforms like www.thredup.com or www.vinted.com. In countries like India, however, the concept is not widely established due to cultural and legal reasons. There, and in other parts of Asia, used clothing or production leftovers are sold in bulk. These textiles are compressed into large bales, exported to other continents for resale, or sold to recyclers, who typically process them into rags, nonwoven materials, or insulation (downcycling).
Ultimately, however, even these items often end up in landfills, illegal dumps, or incinerators. What’s still missing from the circular textile economy is the final puzzle piece: fiber-to-fiber recycling. Industry players, research institutions, and associations around the world are working on practical, economical, and scalable solutions. Even then, the textile care industry will have an essential role to play—because for textiles to be recycled, they must be clean. Ideally, that could mean 92 million tonnes of laundry worldwide would need to be processed by professional operators.
