EWC Code
Wastes from the textile industry
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume
~4 Mt/year EU textile manufacturing waste (fibre, fabric, chemical)
Valorisation Range
Yarn and fabric offcuts €0.5–5/t (wipers); recycled fibre €200–600/t; dye sludge disposal €80–150/t
Primary Route
Mechanical fibre recycling and wipers market
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Get contacts for EWC 04 02EWC 04 02 covers the full range of textile manufacturing residues: raw fibre preparation waste (noils, card waste), yarn and fabric offcuts (cutting waste), dyeing and finishing process sludge, spent dye liquors, chemical auxiliary residues (bleaching agents, sizing chemicals), wastewater treatment sludge and printing paste waste. EU textile manufacturing is concentrated in Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Central European countries.
Fibre waste and fabric offcuts are the largest volume streams — typically 10–15% of raw material in garment manufacturing. Natural fibre waste (cotton, wool) is shredded and re-spun into lower-grade yarn (shoddy) or used as stuffing and insulation. Synthetic fibre waste (polyester, nylon) can be mechanically recycled to fibre or chemically recycled to monomer. Dyeing sludge is the most problematic stream — containing azo dyes, heavy metals (chrome mordants) and surfactants, it typically requires hazardous waste characterisation.
The EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles (2022) and forthcoming mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility for textiles under the Waste Framework Directive (2025+) are reshaping waste management. Separate textile collection targets and recycling mandates will increase demand for fibre-to-fibre recycling capacity. Currently <1% of textile waste is recycled to new fibres due to blended fabric complexity and quality degradation.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 04 02, ranked by economic value and market depth. Mechanical fibre recycling and wipers market is the primary route.
Single-fibre fabric offcuts shredded and re-spun to shoddy yarn for blankets, insulation and industrial wipers. Blended fabrics increasingly processed by automated fibre sorting systems (NIR) before mechanical recycling. Clean cotton and wool offcuts command €1–5/t from rag sorters.
Polyester fabric chemically depolymerised to PET monomer (glycolysis or methanolysis) for repolymerisation to virgin-quality polyester fibre. Nylon 6 chemically recycled to caprolactam. Both routes require sorted, uncontaminated feedstock — currently limited commercial scale in EU.
Mixed textile waste unsuitable for recycling used as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in cement kilns or waste-to-energy plants. Dye sludge and chemical auxiliary waste characterised as hazardous where heavy metals or persistent organics exceed thresholds; disposed at permitted hazardous waste facilities.
These are the established routes for EWC 04 02. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Re-processors of noils and card waste from fibre preparation stages
Insulation and wipers manufacturers use shoddy and shredded textile waste
Textile sorters and fibre recovery specialists are primary off-takers of fabric waste
Cement kilns co-process high-calorific textile waste as alternative fuel
Hazardous waste facilities manage dye sludge and chemical textile auxiliaries
Source: NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat, 2008
Key legislative frameworks governing EWC 04 02 classification, transport, and treatment.
Sets targets for textiles EPR, mandatory separate textile collection (2025), eco-design requirements for durability and recyclability, and digital product passports containing material composition data to enable sorting and recycling.
Azo dyes releasing carcinogenic amines, formaldehyde and chromium(VI) are restricted in textiles under REACH Annex XVII. Affects dyeing sludge classification and waste characterisation requirements for Cr(VI) monitoring.
Textile dyeing and finishing installations above IED thresholds require permits. BAT conclusions address water and chemical consumption reduction, dye bath reuse and sludge minimisation.
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Sectors that valorise EWC 04 02 as an input material or secondary raw material.
Waste-stream pages and resources connected to EWC 04 02 valorisation.
Explore EU waste flows — Waste Atlas
Visualise 17 years of E-PRTR industrial facility data. See how EWC 04 02 and related waste streams flow across European industries and sectors.
Source: EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC · NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat 2008
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