Abstract
Growing concern about the environmental impact of the textile and apparel industry has driven the need to implement Extended Producer Responsibility policies that promote a circular economy. Despite advances in other sectors, textiles face significant regulatory barriers. This study evaluated the potential impact of an Extended Producer Responsibility on the flow of post-consumer textile materials based on a case study in a developing country with real data. The study used a system dynamics model that simulates different scenarios focused on selective collection, garment use time, and reuse channels. Therefore, the effect of increasing collection rates and extending the use time of a garment is analyzed, as well as the impact of garment disposal rates once collected. The results show that the current system maintains a predominantly linear structure, with high volumes of waste disposed of in unregistered destinations and low material recovery. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that, although intervention in reuse manages to formalize part of the disposal (increasing disposal through public sanitation services and reducing unregistered disposal), its impact is limited, as current practices transfer the responsibility for generating waste without fulfilling their initial purpose. On the other hand, the general findings demonstrate that steadily increasing the selective collection rate and encouraging consumers to extend the useful life of garments are strategies that succeed in reducing the final disposal of textile waste, highlighting the positive impact that the implementation of an Extended Producer Responsibility policy would have in this context.
Presenters
Catalina Maya IreguiStudent, Master of Science in Engineering, Universidad de Antioquia, Antioquia, Colombia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—Unseen Unsustainability: Addressing Hidden Risks to Long-Term Wellbeing for All
KEYWORDS
Circular Economy, Textile and Apparel Sector, Extended Producer Responsibility
