Technology drives circular fashion through textile recycling in Spain

New technological innovations in Spain are driving the transition toward circular fashion. Near-infrared (NIR) sensors are being utilized to scan used clothing, identifying exact fiber compositions—such as cotton and polyester blends—in milliseconds. This data allows robotic arms to sort garments accurately for recycling.

These technologies are essential for the upcoming European Union Digital Product Passport (DPP) mandate, which will require QR codes to track garments from origin to end-of-life. Such advancements address the environmental impact of the fashion industry, which the United Nations notes is responsible for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Héctor Viniegra Bernal of the research center Tecnalia describes these technical deployments as the “key piece” to moving from theory to real-world operations. In Spain, where citizens discard approximately 20 kilograms of textiles annually, current recycling rates remain low, with only 12% of textiles being collected separately for recycling according to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition.