Spanish cotton and cotton-blend recycling specialist Recover Textile Systems has announced that it is joining the T2T Alliance, a representative body established earlier this year by four textile recycling specialists.

Launched in 2020 in Banyeres de Mariola, near Alicante, Recover operates dedicated textile recycling sites in Spain, as well as in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and El Salvador. The company is joining the European recyclers’ lobby because it believes the voice of businesses in the sector has so far been under-represented in political discussions.

“We have joined the T2T Alliance because it is essential that policymakers hear the voice of textile-to-textile recyclers (or T2T, editor’s note) when drafting regulations that will foster circularity and competitiveness in our sector,” explains Ana Rodes, Recover’s Director of Sustainability. “By supporting and contributing to the Alliance, we can help ensure our sector gains the visibility it needs among policymakers and key stakeholders.”

The T2T Alliance was founded by Swedish company Circulose (formerly Renewcell) and fellow Swedish company Syre, together with Virginia-based specialist Circ and Re&Up, a subsidiary of Turkish group Sanko.

The organisation aims to champion recyclers’ perspectives in European legislation, remove barriers to the sector’s growth, and support the introduction of requirements for the use of recycled materials. The Alliance also intends to promote a closed-loop approach to textile recycling, encompassing post-industrial, pre-consumer, and post-consumer waste.

According to Textile Exchange figures for the 2024 financial year, of the 132 million tonnes of fibre produced during the year, only 7.6% was recycled, with less than 1% coming from recycled textiles, the remainder mainly from recycled bottles converted into synthetic fibres.