Prospects and challenges of recycling and reusing post-consumer garments: A review

Abstract

Post-consumer garments (PCG) wastes pose a significant concern in the textile value chain, primarily due to their environmental impact. Over the last few decades, recycling of PCG has garnered substantial attention from textile industrialists and researchers. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of the progress in recycling and reusing the PCG over the last 15 years. A bibliometric analysis is presented from Scopus data from 2010 to February 2024 using various statistical tools. The aim is to present the existing challenges and prospects of PCG, including increased demand for garments recycling, advanced recycling technologies, reusing, circular economy initiatives, socio-economic advantages, bioenergy production, stringent regulations, and new business opportunities. Cutting-edge recycling techniques are presented, including the pyrolysis of PCG waste to generate bio-oil and the fabrication of nanofibers from PCG for enhanced filtration and protective clothes. Additionally, the production of thermal-insulating high-performance cloth from PCG is mentioned. Challenges, such as contamination in medical textile waste, the complexity of recycling, lack of infrastructure, reduced economic viability, and declining end product quality, are addressed. Guidelines to tackle challenges include proper segregation, identification, and disinfection to overcome contamination issues. This article is a credible resource for textile industry experts, academicians, and engineers interested in promoting garment recycling to assist in accomplishing the sustainable development goals (SDGs).