South Korea urged to rethink textile recycling

SEOUL – South Korea must pair recycling technology with stronger upstream policy if it is to move textile waste beyond incineration, landfill and low-value exports, researchers have warned.

A study published in Scientific Reports compared textile waste policy in South Korea with France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Latvia, Germany, Sweden and the UK. It found European frameworks generally covered more stages of the product life cycle and used economic and communication measures absent from South Korea.