Basel Convention Launches New Work on Used Textiles — What It Means for Global Textile Recycling

At the COP-17 meeting of the Basel Convention in 2025, the Parties officially added “used textiles and textile waste” as a new work item, marking a significant shift in how the world governs cross-border trade of post-consumer clothing. This initiative invites countries and stakeholders to submit their opinions on whether used textile exports should be subject to the same control measures as other categories of waste under the Convention.

Background: From “waste” to “resource” debate

The Basel Convention was established to control the transboundary movement of hazardous and other wastes, ensuring that waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner. However, as second-hand clothing exports have grown dramatically—especially from countries like China, the EU, and the U.S. to Africa and Southeast Asia—the boundary between recycling and waste dumping has become increasingly blurred.

Potential global impacts if new controls are adopted

1、Stricter export documentation and licensing: Exporters of used clothing may be required to obtain prior informed consent (PIC) from importing countries, extending export lead times and costs.

2、Reduced trade flows to developing markets: African and Southeast Asian nations that rely heavily on imported second-hand clothing for affordable fashion could face shortages or price increases.

3、Increased domestic recycling pressure: Major textile-exporting countries, including China, would need to develop in-country recycling and sorting capacity instead of relying on outbound trade to absorb surplus used textiles.

4、Accelerated innovation in textile sorting technologies: The policy shift will push recycling companies toward automation, AI, and hyperspectral sorting to achieve high-purity classification of mixed fabrics for true circular textile recycling.

This policy echoes the earlier “China ban on imported solid waste”, signaling a global trend toward closing the loop within each region and discouraging the outsourcing of textile waste.

How DATABEYOND supports textile recyclers amid policy tightening

To help recyclers adapt to stricter waste movement rules, DATABEYOND’s FASTSORT-TEXTILE solution applies AI-driven hyperspectral imaging to accurately identify and separate blended fabrics such as cotton-polyester or nylon-elastane mixtures. The system enables:

1、Automated sorting at industrial scale, reducing manual dependency.

2、High-accuracy fiber recognition for material recovery and upcycling.

3、Data-driven optimization to support compliance with traceability and sustainability reporting.

As global textile recycling moves toward localized and high-purity processing, DATABEYOND provides the technological foundation to make circular textile recovery both profitable and compliant with emerging Basel Convention standards.