As well as recycling a quarter of the 22 million tonnes of textile waste accrued each year, the country is looking to produce two million tonnes of recycled fibre annually within the next three years, according to an announcement from China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Commerce.

The textile initiatives are part of a broader push for China to reach peak carbon emissions within the decade and carbon neutrality by 2060.

“With the continuous improvement in people’s living standards, more and more used clothing [is being put to waste], and the problem of recycling textile waste has become increasingly prominent,” Zhao Kai, vice-chairman of the China Association of Circular Economy, said in a statement.

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