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  • Identifying the needs for a...
    Malinverno, Nadia; Schmutz, Mélanie; Nowack, Bernd; Som, Claudia

    Resources, conservation and recycling, February 2023, 2023-02-00, Volume: 189
    Journal Article

    •In Switzerland per worker 1.6 kg/y workwear are procured; 0.4 kg/y are collected in companies and 1.2 kg/y are disposed of by employees.•Waste management: 0.6 kg/y are reused, 0.7 kg/y are incinerated, and about 0.3 kg/y are open-loop recycled.•According to the extrapolation 3200 t range, 480–7′800 t (0.4 kg/capita range, 0.1–1 kg) of workwear per year are consumed in Switzerland.•The numbers of this study are based on a limited number of companies data. The textile sector with its linear management leads to environmental damage and high amounts of post-consumer waste. Circular economy has been identified as a promising solution. Workwear is assumed to have high potential for circularity because of its high, constant, and uniform material quality and quantity. There is little research on categorized material waste flows of workwear. To fill this gap, workwear flows of eight Swiss companies in 2019 were collected and analyzed. The results show that 1.6 kg/y/worker of workwear are procured. Concerning waste management, 0.6 kg/y are reused, 0.7 kg/y are incinerated, and 0.3 kg/y are recycled. According to the extrapolation, 0.4 kg/y/capita of workwear were consumed. The most weight-represented material type is mixed material, dominated by polycotton. Natural material, is the second biggest category, followed by synthetic and cellulosic materials. This study emphasizes the importance to monitor workwear flow data to enhance cooperation throughout the textile value chain and initiate circular management.