Rethinking Textile
The Textile Industry Must Change – We’re Ready
Why Textiles Matter
Did you know that the textile industry is said to account for 10% of global emissions – more than aviation and shipping combined? Perhaps it’s not so surprising when fabric waste equivalent to every 4th–5th garment is discarded already during production. Add to that what is consumed and some clothes worn only a handful of times before being thrown away.
The Challenge
Linear business models fueling overproduction
> 92 million tons of textile waste per year
Massive CO₂ emissions and water use
Recycling rates still below 1%
Textiles are one of the most damaging waste streams. Linear production, short product life cycles, and limited recycling infrastructure have created a growing crisis. Respin offers a way forward.
We Know Sustainability
To us, sustainability is about more than emissions and energy use – it's about understanding our place in nature.
Humans are part of Earth’s ecosystem – one link in the chain that sustains life. Over time, we’ve drifted away from nature, losing sight of the resources that enable our wellbeing. The modern textile industry is a prime example. With the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the Spinning Jenny in the 18th century, we not only changed how we produced textiles, we also changed our relationship with nature.
In the 260 years since, synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and large-scale extractions have led to soil depletion, polluted water, and declining biodiversity.
Our Solution: RespinJenny
At ReSpin, we believe the textile industry must be redefined. We know what sustainability truly means – and we know that real circularity is about using nature’s resources fully, without causing new harm.
RespinJenny embodies this belief. It is the most resource-efficient textile recycling solution – operating without chemicals, fresh water, or excessive energy. Every kilo recycled through RespinJenny represents a measurable reduction in CO₂ emissions and natural resource use.
But change isn’t just about technology – it’s also about knowledge. Want to learn more about how different textile fibers impact the planet and biodiversity?
Explore Tänk Om and ReThink – our spaces for sharing insights and inspiration.
Small-scale is the new large-scale
– Åsa Strandberg, founder ReSpin
The Textile Waste Hierarchy
Textile recycling starts with understanding the waste hierarchy – a guide to managing waste more sustainably.
The aim is simple: use less, reuse more, and recycle wisely.
Minimize – The most sustainable waste is the one that never exists. Choose quality, repair, and embrace slow fashion.
Reuse – Extend textile life through second-hand, swapping, and repairs. Longer use = lower impact.
Recycle – When reuse isn’t possible, textiles can become raw material again.
Mechanical recycling keeps natural fibers’ properties intact with minimal energy and resource use. The oldest and most proven method – now refined for today’s needs.
Chemical recycling requires pure, single-material flows and large volumes, and still depends on virgin resources together with chemicals, water, and energy. A complementary technology to mechanical recycling, used when fibers are too short and instead of being lost to energy recovery, can be regenerated into new fibers such as viscose or lyocell.
Recover Energy – A last resort: incineration recovers only energy
Deposit – The worst-case scenario. Always to be avoided.
Upcoming EU Regulations on Textile Waste & Producer Responsibility
The European Union is introducing new regulations to accelerate the shift toward a circular textile economy. From January 2025, all EU member states must implement separate collection of textile waste. In parallel, a new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textiles is being finalized, which will hold fashion and textile producers accountable for the full lifecycle of their products, including end-of-life management.
In Sweden, a legal change came into force on October 1, 2025, that somewhat paradoxically, allows damaged textiles to be thrown away with household waste. While intended to simplify waste handling in the short term, this highlights the urgent need for real recycling solutions that prevent valuable fibres from being lost forever.
These policies and contradictions make it clear that scalable, low-impact recycling is essential. ReSpin’s technology is designed for this future: transforming discarded textiles into high-quality raw materials without water, chemicals or energy-intensive processes.
Learn more:
The past was for reckless resource extraction
– the future is for conscious resource stewardship
– Åsa Strandberg, founder ReSpin
ReSpin & the UN Goals
By aligning our work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we turn global ambitions into concrete action for the textile industry. In particular, we contribute to:
Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation:
By reducing the need for virgin fibre production, we also reduce the vast amounts of water normally required in textile cultivation and processing. At the same time, our process eliminates the use of chemicals that often follow wastewater streams into rivers, lakes, groundwater, and oceans. Together, this helps protect water resources and aquatic ecosystems.Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure:
We’re pioneering not only a scalable, low-impact recycling technology, but also a new business model built on small-scale, decentralized production. This approach fosters innovation, strengthens resilience, and supports a shift towards more sustainable industrial systems.Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production:
ReSpin addresses textile waste through mechanical recycling, creating circular flows that reduce the need for virgin resources. With Holma as a transparent partner, the process from recycled fiber to new yarn can be seen and understood – promoting openness, traceability and accountability. Beyond technology, ReSpin is committed to education and knowledge-sharing: through initiatives like TänkOm and ReThink, we spread awareness of the environmental costs of textile production, from resource extraction to end-of-life. Together, these efforts foster a culture of conscious consumption, smaller volumes, and greater value, showing that the future of textiles lies not only in new technology, but in how we understand and use our resources.Goal 13 – Climate Action:
Through mechanical recycling, ReSpinJenny avoids energy-intensive methods, cuts emissions from farming, land use and oil, and extends fibre life. Small-scale, flexible solutions make the textile industry more climate-resilient and resource-conscious.
Why Respin Chooses Mechanical Recycling
There is no single solution to textile recycling. Different fibres and material fractions require different approaches, and all technologies have a role to play in building a truly circular system.
Mechanical recycling is the “oldest” method and for a long time it had a reputation of delivering fibres of too low quality for new textiles. But technology has advanced. ReSpin´s modern mechanical recycling can produce high-quality fibres, and is by far the most environmentally optimized option, with no use of water or chemicals.
Chemical recycling is frequently highlighted as the future solution, and it certainly has a role to play for specific fractions, such as polyester, some regenerated fibres and cotton fibres too short to be spun. Yet important constraints remain:
High volume requirements: economically viable only with very large, steady waste flows.
Purity of input: requires very clean, near mono-material streams with few coatings or contaminants.
Resource intensity: processes rely on chemicals, water and energy.
In reality, this means all solutions play their role: chemical recycling can handle a portion of textile waste, and mechanical another. The key is matching the right technology to the fibre and the desired outcome.
At ReSpin, we have refined and upgraded mechanical recycling with a small-scale, modular and flexible approach, so existing waste streams can be recycled with far lower environmental impact, yielding fibres ready for new textiles.
Looking ahead, we see the future in combining solutions. Each method has its strengths and limitations; real progress comes from applying the right technology to the right fraction. There is no silver bullet in textile recycling –but with mechanical recycling we have developed a crucial piece of the puzzle, keeping valuable fibres in use and reducing dependency on new resources.