Textile waste like Cotton is barely recycled in China, where fast fashion reigns
![Textile waste like Cotton is barely recycled in China, where fast fashion reigns](https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/w_1280,q_auto,f_auto,fl_lossy/wp-cms-2/2024/07/AP24178221945423.jpg)
Only about 20% of China’s textiles are recycled, according to the Chinese government — and almost all of that is cotton.
At a factory in Zhejiang province on China’s eastern coast, two mounds of discarded cotton clothing and bed linens, loosely separated into dark and light colors, pile up on a workroom floor. Jacket sleeves, collars and brand labels protrude from the stacks as workers feed the garments into shredding machines.