Hey — Harald here.
Last week I visited Norway, and I can say this with certainty:
A new chapter in circular history is being written here.
In the fjords, a company called NTG (Norway Textile Recycling) has quietly cracked the code of textile recycling — not just as a pilot, but as a business model.
And that changes everything.
❌ The Textile Problem
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the textile industry is one of the world’s dirtiest.
- Responsible for 10% of global CO₂ emissions (more than aviation and shipping combined).
- Produces 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually.
- Uses up to 93 billion cubic meters of water per year.
- And only 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes.
We wear the problem every day.
🌱 What’s Special About NTG
When you walk into NTG’s facility, it doesn’t feel like a recycling plant. It feels like the blueprint of a new industry. Here, piles of discarded textiles from hospitals, hotels, and industrial uniforms don’t signal waste. They are the raw material of tomorrow’s value chains.
NTG’s approach is deceptively simple yet deeply innovative. They receive, sort, and prepare used textiles, feeding them into a mechanical recycling process that gives birth to high-quality fibres ready to be spun into new fabrics. Unlike chemical-heavy methods, their process is clean: no toxic inputs. And the environmental results are stunning: 90 to 97 % CO₂ savings compared to producing virgin fibres.
As founder Pål Erik Haraldsen explained to me, “We are part of a new industry that will expand in Norway and across Europe.” He is right. With the EU’s new regulation mandating separate collection of textile waste by 2025, NTG is not just a pioneer. It is perfectly positioned to become a cornerstone of Europe’s circular textile infrastructure.
🔑 How They Cracked the Code
What makes NTG different from so many other pilots that we have seen come and go?
To my mind, they cracked the code in 3 ways:
- First, they put business before charity. This is not a pilot funded by subsidies that vanishes when the budget dries up. It’s a scalable revenue model built to grow, compete, and deliver consistent value.
- Second, they blended tech with tradition. Today, they rely on robust mechanical recycling — proven, effective, and scalable. Tomorrow, they are already preparing to integrate AI-driven smart sorting and camera technology to boost efficiency, accuracy, and throughput.
- And third, they commit to the full value chain. NTG doesn’t just produce recycled fibres and hope someone will buy them. They are building trust with industry buyers, showing that their fibres can perform, scale, and integrate into mainstream production.
That’s the magic: NTG is not simply cleaning up textile waste. They are laying the foundations of a new industry — one that transforms waste into raw material, cuts emissions at scale, and shows Europe how circular textiles can truly work.
🌍 Other Circular Textile Leaders
Norway is not alone. There are other companies globally pushing the boundaries:
- NTG (Norway):Mechanical textile-to-textile recycling, turning waste into new fibres business model pioneer in Europe
2. Frankenhuis (Netherlands): mechanically recycles post-consumer textiles. 600.000 kilograms per month
3. Infinitedfiber (Finland): Turns cotton-rich textile waste into “Infinna” fibre. Closing loops for global fashion brands
4. Evrnu (USA): Creates fibres from post-consumer textile waste. They have partnerships with Adidas, Levi’s etc.
5. Worn Again (UK): Focusing on polymer recycling and hard-to-recycle fabrics. Starting to accelerate circular production via the construction of a Textile-to-Fibre Accelerator recycling plant. The first production module of the plant will start commissioning in Q4 2025.
6. Spinnova (Finland): Engaging on fibre tech using wood & waste streams, minimising use of chemicals. Emerging partnerships with H&M, Adidas
7. Recover (Spain): Large-scale mechanical recycling of textiles. Supplying global brands with recycled cotton
8. Resortecs (Belgium): Smart stitching for easy disassembly & recycling.
🔭 What’s my future ope?
- By 2030, all textiles sold in the EU must be durable, repairable, and recyclable.
- The global circular textile market could exceed $16 billion by 2032
- AI, robotics, and digital product passports will make sorting and recycling smarter and cheaper.
Circular textiles are moving from niche to mainstream infrastructure.
🧭 The key is to act now.
- 🌍 Cities: pilot textile collection systems with local recyclers.
- 👕 Industry: design clothes with recycling in mind, and commit to recycled fibres.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Consumers: buy less, reuse more, and demand circular options.
In Norway, I didn’t just see piles of old textiles.
I saw the birth of a new industry.
Stay safe,
Harald
PS: I’m opening a few more brand-partnership slots for Q4/Q1.
If you feel like co-creating a narrative that showcases your circular innovation, drives engagement and positions you as a leader, just hit reply.
Where to find me (in person🙂):
23 October 2025: Camacol Summit, Barranquilla/Colombia
10-18 November 2025: COP 30, Belem/Brazil.
20 November 2025: Amsterdam Circular Ecosystem Day
30 March - 1 April 2026: changeNOW, Paris/France.
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