The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries worldwide regarding CO2 emissions, waste production and toxic by-products. For this reason, textile recycling is a key factor in achieving a more sustainable future with fewer emissions and reduced resource consumption. The recirculation of material from post-consumer textiles is possible on different re-entry points in the production line. Energy consumption increases as the length of the production chain grows, requiring repetition to produce a new product. Since post-consumer textiles consist of a complex and variable composition of mixed materials, including both biogenic and synthetic components, a combination of different recycling approaches is necessary to achieve a high recycling rate, depending on the material composition. This is mainly because efficient recycling is often hindered by products containing multiple materials which are either sewn, glued or woven together. In many cases, separation is possible involving both mechanical and chemical treatment. Another challenge in textile recycling is the presence of coatings, prints, buttons, zippers, as well as dirt or chemical contamination on the textiles. These impurities can interfere with sorting sensors and negatively affect both chemical and mechanical recycling processes. In addition, a wide variety of colorants is used, which constantly evolves along with material compositions. Re-entry stage 0: Recycling on a textile level In recent years, companies specializing in textile-level recycling have emerged in the market. Some of these initiatives focus on repurposing durable industrial materials, such as truck tarpaulins, into new products like bags, wallets, and backpacks. By following this approach, these materials are directly reused without altering their structure, preserving their durability while extending their useful life. This type of recycling is particularly relevant for robust mixed materials commonly used in industrial applications, such as polyester and PVC composites. Recycling these materials at later stages of the process necessitates complex separation techniques, making direct reuse an efficient and sustainable alternative. Re-entry stage 1: Recycling on fibre level Mechanical recycling is a widely used method in textile recycling. This process typically involves shredding and tearing the fabric, braking it down into fibres. However, mechanical recycling results in shorter fibers reducing their suitability for high-quality textiles. In most cases, this leads to a recycling into low-value nonwovens used for insulation, although recent innovations have improved fiber retention. Re-entry stage 2: Recycling on polymer level; melt spinning and solvent spinning Cellulose: Various polymer-level recycling methods exist for cellulosic textiles, focusing on regenerating cellulose fibres from textile waste. Processing discarded cotton and other plant-based materials, these approaches create new, high-quality fibres suitable for the production of sustainable textiles. Utilizing chemical or solvent-based processes, they convert waste into spinnable material for viscose and lyocell production. This reduces the reliance on virgin resources in the textile industry, contributing to a more circular and sustainable material flow. Polyamide: Polyamide can be mechanically ground into granules and re-spun into fibres, but it often requires chemical separating from other materials before reprocessing. One method involves using water, ethanol, and calcium chloride to dissolve polyamide and separate it from wool and cotton. PET: Many brands advertise their polyester products as recycled, which are mainly derived from granulated PET bottles. Recycling polyester from textiles is challenging due to the presence of mixed fibres, particularly polyester-elastane blends. Although separation processes for elastane exist, commercial polyester-to-polyester recycling from post-consumer textiles remains very limited. Re-entry stage 3: Recycling on monomer level & sustainable biochemical technologies: enzymatic hydrolysis Nylon: Nylon-6 can be depolymerized into ε-caprolactam with high yield and selectivity, without toxic chemicals, at approximately 240 °C. The process is unaffected by the presence of polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate. One experimental depolymerization process in the laboratory phase uses a lanthanum catalyst to break Amid-N-H bonds. Unspecific approach: Materials can be recycled at the monomer level through thermochemical cracking, where plastic waste is broken down under high temperature conditions into synthetic crude oil for reprocessing into new plastics. In textile recycling, this method allows synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon to be depolymerized into their chemical building blocks, enabling the production of new textile materials and supporting a circular economy for various plastic materials. This communication addresses the complex nature of textile waste, highlighting the need for specialized collection and sorting systems, which are currently inadequate for efficient recycling. Different recycling loops are presented, outlining their advantages and disadvantages. While promising approaches already exist in textile recycling, much work remains to integrate the textile industry into a circular economy. It is important to emphasize that there is no single ‘best’ recycling method; future efforts must focus on identifying the optimal combination of various recycling routes for each specific textile fraction.