The first mile problem in the circular economy supply chains – Collecting recyclable textiles from consumers

Abstract

This paper presents the first mile problem of the circular economy supply chains: organizing the collection of used materials from individual consumers. Efficient solving of this problem is a prerequisite for recycling, as it ensures that adequate volumes of used materials, in this study end-of-life textiles, can be transformed into high-quality raw materials. Textile features affect the collection system design and make used textiles differ from other household waste fractions, such as glass or plastic. The aim is to investigate how to collect textile waste from consumers in a way that addresses the specific features of textiles, and the scarce resources of the collector organizations, but results in the largest collected yields to eventually drive up the recycling rates of used textiles. The study takes a supply chain view to reverse flows of textiles. Key experts from a sample of textile organizations were interviewed to understand their collection practices and possible future solutions, and a data analysis model was constructed to provide accurate prediction of end-of-life textile volumes. This study proposes how the first mile problem of end-of-life textiles, the collection from households, can be modelled in a situation where no historical volume data is available. The practical contribution lies in the urgent need for textile collection solutions, as municipal actors and waste companies in Europe are searching for efficient solutions to respond to the requirement of separate used textile collection by 2025. The study demonstrates how a circular economy problem with multiple unknows and uncertainties can be modelled quantitatively.