Category: GARMENTS
Country: United Kingdom
By Kirstin Linnenkoper
Business news
31st July, 2025
While textiles recyclers and manufacturers are dealing with challenging economics, the e-commerce wave is going strong. Players across the value chain urge that online bargains flooding in from Asia are further skewing an already uneven playing field.
Sky News reports that “de minimis” imports into Britain reached £5.9 billion (EUR 6.8 billion) in the fiscal year 2024-25. This is an increase of 53% over the previous year (£3.9 billion). The government is discussing whether consumers ordering packages with a value under £135 should have to start paying customs duties, as this is currently not the case.
Raising funds
The news outlet is the first to uncover the scale of ‘cheap Chinese e-commerce imports’, typically originating from Shein and Temu. It estimates that a 20% tariff on flows of that scale could raise more than £1 billion.
The story has been picked up and shared passionately on social media, underpinned by the fact that both UK-based clothing producers and recyclers are met with increasingly stricter rules. Companies at both ends of the sector argue that the “invisible” imports could provide significant funds to survive amid a tough economic climate.
At the same time, the government could also introduce a recycling levy or ‘extended producer responsibility tax’ of £1 per item sold to promote the use of recycled content. Raising circular funds while fighting overproduction is said to be a ‘no-brainer’ and a missed opportunity.
‘The wrong direction’
According to the latest Apparel Impact Institute report, global emissions rose 7.5% in 2023 to 944 million tons CO₂e. ‘The biggest drivers are overproduction and increased use of virgin polyester,’ points out Peter Majeranowski, founder of US tech company Circ. ‘In fact, polyester now makes up 57% of global fibre production. And recycled polyester dropped to just 12.5%. That’s the wrong direction.’
Majeranowski’s company is currently scaling up its mixed textiles recycling solution by building a recycling facility in France. Chinese textiles manufaturer Sanyou Chemical Fiber is now also on board, agreeing to purchase pulp for a period of five years from Circ’s first commercial-scale facility in Saint-Avold. The EUR 500 million site is scheduled to open its doors in 2028.
The question remains: can Asian producers like Sanyou help turn the tide of fast fashion by backing circular textiles?
Courtesy: recyclinginternational.com
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