Circular economy in the textile sector: operational and logistical challenges for its implementation

Abstract

This paper entitled “Circular economy in the textile sector: operational and logistical challenges for its implementation” provides an overview of the challenges faced by the textile and apparel (T&A) industry in adopting circular business models, addressing aspects related to product design, waste classification and reverse logistics.

First, the authors emphasize the importance of the circular economy as a model aimed at minimizing waste and extending the life cycle of materials, as the foundation for reconfiguring the operations of traditional T&A business models.

One of the central aspects of the work is the identification of seven categories of operational and logistical barriers —product design, waste classification, reverse logistics infrastructure, traceability, inter-organizational coordination, market conditions and economic viability—, demonstrating that these barriers are interrelated rather than isolated. This enables understanding textile circularity as an operations and supply chain management problem, with applications in logistics planning and recovery process design.

Additionally, empirical evidence from the Colombian textile sector is presented, illustrating the impact of insufficient infrastructure, traceability and consolidated secondary markets on the scalability of circular strategies.

Finally, the study discusses challenges related to economic viability and coordination among value chain actors, including collection and sorting costs, and highlights the importance of designing integrated processes, infrastructure and coordination mechanisms to promote an effective circular transition in the T&A sector.