Textile Exchange has launched an updated version of its Reclaimed Materials Declaration Form, enabling brands to distinguish between recycled plastic bottles and recycled textile feedstock. The enhanced system will help companies increase their use of textile-to-textile recycling whilst making evidence-based sustainability claims about their products.
- The revised form captures standardised data on fibre composition, colour, origin and source classification.
- Use of the updated system remains optional for certified organisations in recycled supply chains.
- Future integration with Textile Exchange's Trackit verification system is planned for product claim validation.
KEY TAKEAWAY: This foundational shift in textile waste tracing represents a pivotal step towards industry-wide transparency, enabling brands to make evidence-based claims whilst driving greater adoption of genuine textile-to-textile recycling over bottle-derived alternatives across global supply chains.
THE CONTEXT: The July 2025 launch follows completion of a two-year multistakeholder project initiated in 2023 by Textile Exchange and Fashion for Good, involving brand partners adidas, Target, BESTSELLER, Norrøna and Levi Strauss alongside technical partners Control Union, Reverse Resources, Recover and Usha Yarns.
WHAT'S AT STAKE:Without reliable origin tracking, the industry cannot determine whether recycled fibres come from plastic bottles or textile waste, creating opacity around sustainability claims and limiting brands' ability to prioritise circular textile recycling over bottle-to-fibre conversion processes.
- Current data collection systems lack standardisation and efficient classification methods across the supply chain.
- Recyclers often use multiple incompatible systems without integration capabilities between platforms.
- Brands struggle to verify the true origins of their recycled content purchases for accurate reporting.
DATA SNAPSHOT: The project adapted Textile Exchange's existing Reclaimed Material Declaration Form, which previously gathered seller information, shipment details and basic product specifications including material type and whether content was pre-consumer or post-consumer waste.
- Key findings confirmed the form could capture standardised data to facilitate comprehensive supply chain traceability.
- Integration capabilities with platforms like Reverse Resources enable pre-filling data to reduce administrative duplication.
- The system can link with existing recycler data collection tools to minimise burden on suppliers.
COMING UP: The recalibrated form currently operates optionally for first certified organisations, with mandatory integration into Textile Exchange's Trackit verification system planned to enable companies to easily verify data needed for product claims and greater industry transparency.
