Textile waste is one of the fashion industry's most pressing sustainability challenges. In a recent report, SRF examined how Switzerland is addressing the growing volume of discarded clothing and spotlighted DePoly’s role in developing circular recycling solutions that turn polyester waste into valuable new resources.
Turning Textile Waste into Opportunity
SRF – Switzerland’s national public broadcaster – recently highlighted the growing challenge of textile waste in Switzerland. Every year, around 100,000 tonnes of used clothing are collected across the country. While a portion can be reused, a significant share cannot find a second life and is often exported abroad, where it accumulates or is ultimately discarded. The report underscores the urgent need for scalable solutions that can keep valuable materials in circulation.
Among the innovators featured was DePoly, whose advanced recycling technology is helping redefine what is possible for polyester textiles. By breaking down polyester waste into its original building blocks and transforming them back into virgin-quality raw materials, DePoly enables a true circular pathway for textiles that would otherwise be lost from the value chain.
Why it matters
Textile waste is a global challenge. As consumption continues to rise, so does the volume of discarded garments. Traditional recycling methods struggle to process complex textile streams, leaving much of the material destined for landfill, incineration, or export.
Innovative recycling technologies offer a different path forward. By recovering high-quality raw materials from end-of-life textiles, circular solutions can reduce dependence on virgin fossil resources, lower waste generation, and support a more sustainable textile industry.
Looking ahead
Addressing textile waste requires collaboration across the entire value chain — from brands and manufacturers to recyclers, policymakers, and consumers. Increased awareness, thoughtful product design, and investment in next-generation recycling technologies will all play a crucial role in accelerating the transition towards circularity.
At DePoly, we are proud to contribute to this transformation and to be recognised as part of the solution. Together, we can move closer to a future where textiles are no longer treated as waste, but as valuable resources that remain in circulation for generations to come.
Press Contact
Zoë Pfiffer
PR Coordinator
media@depoly.co
About SRF
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) is the public broadcaster for German-speaking Switzerland and a business unit of SRG SSR. Through its television, radio, and online channels, SRF delivers trusted news, investigative reporting, and educational programming, serving millions of viewers, listeners, and users across Switzerland.
Press contacts
DePoly’s technology recycles unsorted, dirty PET waste into virgin-grade raw materials. Those PET precursors, PTA and MEG, are used by the industry to produce new plastics without the need for fossil fuels, while diverting valuable materials from landfills and incineration.
DePoly SA –
HQ
Rue de l'Industrie 23, 1950 Sion, Valais, Switzerland
DePoly SA –
Showcase Plant
Route de l'Ile au Bois, 1870 Monthey, Valais, Switzerland
DePoly’s technology recycles unsorted, dirty PET waste into virgin-grade raw materials. Those PET precursors, PTA and MEG, are used by the industry to produce new plastics without the need for fossil fuels, while diverting valuable materials from landfills and incineration.
This operation benefits from support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund
