Textile Recycling Challenges Vs. Our Solution
The Challenge
Textile Waste is a Growing Infrastructure Problem
- Over 11 million tons of textile waste are generated annually in the United States.
- More than 85% of discarded textiles end up in landfills.
- Domestic fiber recovery infrastructure remains limited and underdeveloped.
Without scalable recovery facilities, valuable material is lost while landfill capacity and environmental impact continue to rise.
Our Solution
La’ Merde Textile Recycling is developing a multi-phase facility designed to:
- Phase 1: Collect and sort post-consumer and post-industrial textiles
- Phase 2: Mechanically recover reusable fiber
- Phase 3: Process and bale materials for industrial reuse
- Phase 4: Support regional manufacturing supply chains
This initiative aligns climate responsibility with advanced manufacturing and workforce development.
Environmental Impact
Textile Waste Delivered
CO₂ Emissions: Virgin vs Recycled Textile Fiber
CO₂ Emissions: Virgin vs Recycled Textile Fiber
25,000+ tons of textile waste diverted annually. Structured textile streams are delivered directly to our intake and classification facility before processing.
CO₂ Emissions: Virgin vs Recycled Textile Fiber
CO₂ Emissions: Virgin vs Recycled Textile Fiber
CO₂ Emissions: Virgin vs Recycled Textile Fiber
Producing 1 ton of virgin textile fiber (cotton or polyester blend) generates approximately 10–15 metric tons of CO₂ (including cultivation/extraction, processing, dyeing, and transport).
Producing 1 ton of recycled textile fiber generates approximately 2–4 metric tons of CO₂, depending on processing method and energy source.
Job Creation
CO₂ Emissions: Virgin vs Recycled Textile Fiber
Job Creation
50 direct and 100 indirect jobs created
Workforce training pipeline integrated into operations. Through supply chain activity and regional economic impact, each line also supports an estimated 100 indirect jobs, resulting in approximately 150 total jobs supported per line.