Modeling Circular Economy Barriers to Textile Waste Valorization using Causal Loop Diagram

Monday, July 20, 2026, 11:00 AM

Session: SOC Poster Session (In-person)

Despite growing commitments to circular economy principles, fiber-to-fiber recycling in the textile industry remains limited to around 1% globally. This gap suggests the presence of systemic barriers that hinder the valorization of textile waste. This study focuses on post-industrial and pre-consumer textile waste in Europe, which, despite their high recycling potential, remain largely underutilized due to fragmented and low-volume material flows. Adopting a System Dynamics approach, this research uses causal loop diagrams (CLDs) to analyze the interdependencies between economic, technical, logistical, organizational, and institutional barriers. Based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews with French textile value chain actors. Preliminary feedback loops are identified, highlighting the role of economies of scale, relational capital, and investment dynamics. The study hypothesizes that the lack of volume consolidation constitutes a structural lock-in that prevents system-wide change. The resulting CLD aims to provide a qualitative understanding of the system and support the identification of leverage points for improving material valorization.