Quantify the textile waste problem, trace garment lifecycles, and identify intervention points where circular business models could intercept end-of-life clothing at economic viability thresholds.

Literature synthesis across 60+ studies on textile waste flows, lifecycle assessments, and circular business model economics. Cross-referenced with secondary market pricing data for recycled fibers, downcycled material quality grades, and viability thresholds for different circular pathways (resale, reuse, chemical recycling, upcycling).

00/kg reclaimed fiber), (4) market demand for recycled fibers (still 5-10% of virgin markets), (5) regulatory fragmentation.

The textile waste crisis is economically solvable but requires infrastructure investment ahead of demand. Bottleneck #1 (collection) is already being solved at $40-50/ton via informal networks in LMIC; formal systems in OECD countries run 2-3x higher. Bottleneck #2 (sorting) is increasingly automatable via ML computer vision.

Bottleneck #3 (extraction) has reached economic viability for high-value fibers (wool, silk, polyester) and is close for cotton at scale. Bottlenecks #4 and #5 (demand and regulation) are demand-constrained, not supply-constrained. The missing piece: infrastructure capital for collection + sorting in regions where landfill costs are still cheaper than circular pathways.

One-time investment of $15-20B in collection + sorting infrastructure in 50 LMIC/OECD cities would unlock $200B+ in annual circular fiber markets.