The recycled textile market in North America is expected to grow from US$ 1559.00 million in 2019 to US$ 2575.39 million by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2020 to 2027.
Rising concerns related to disposal of textile waste will surge the demand of recycled textiles in the market. The textile manufacturing mechanism is considered to be one of the chemical-intensive processes, which generate a high volume of textile waste throughout its operations. The textile waste may be segregated into two groups, post-consumer textile waste and post-consumer textile. The rise in amount of textile waste creates a burden on environment and generates the problem of effective disposal or incineration on existing landfills. According to an estimate, ~10–20% of all unused textile products are considered to be wasted. According to US EPA, in 2015, a total of 15.75 million tons of textiles were generated as municipal solid waste, of which 19% were incinerated, while 65% ended in landfills. Further, a report by the US Environmental Protection Agency suggests that production and disposal of textiles results into greenhouse gas emissions. Further, the process of incineration emits organic substances such as heavy metals, dioxins, acidic gases, and dust particles, which are considered harmful to both humans and the environment. Also, the disposing of residual ash has also become a serious issue as it contains a high concentration of toxic material. Hence, it is quite imperative to effectively manage of textile waste through reuse or recycling methods, which could promote environment sustainability. Under such situations, recycling of textile waste is considered to be a viable alternative, which helps to reduce burden on natural resource, minimize the need for landfill space, and help saving energy. Moreover, the stringent government legislations regulating the effective management of textile waste are potentially aimed to promote the use of textile recycling as a sustainable alternative to treat the impending problem related to waste. Rapid growth of the retail and automotive industry is among the other factor, which is expected to boost recycled textile demand across North America during the forecast period.
Based on type, the recycled polyester segment led the North America recycled textile market in 2019. Recycled polyester is made using recycled materials such as PET and polyester fabrics. These are the same materials that are used in clear plastic bottles, and recycling them to create fabrics prevents their disposal on landfills. The collected PET bottles are sterilized, dried and crushed to form small chips. These small chips are then heated and passed through a spinneret to produce strings of yarn. The yarn is wounded up in spools. The fiber is then made to pass through a crimping machine to obtain a woolly texture. The yarn is finally baled, dyed, and knitted into polyester fabric. The process of converting PET into recycled polyester requires less energy compared to normal polyester. The use of recycled polyester reduces the dependence on petroleum as a raw material used in the production of fabric. The garments manufactured from recycled polyester can be reprocessed multiple times with no degradation in quality; thus, minimizing the wastage.
The US has the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 compared to Canada and Mexico. This is likely to impact the chemical and materials industry in the region. Due to COVID-19, the supply chain is likely to get affected, which, in turn is negatively impacting the manufacturing processes, research, and development activities.
The overall North America recycled textile market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the North America recycled textile market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants of this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the North America recycled textile market. A few players operating in the market are Kishco Group, Hyosung Corporation, Leign Fibers Inc, and Martex Fiber Southern Corporation.