Growing mountains of textile waste are hard to recycle. There is scope to improve chemical and mechanical recycling methods but consumers and fashion brands play a role in reducing overproduction.

Even harder than recycling underwear: recycling a bra. That’s because bras contain tiny pieces of plastic and metal that have to be removed piece by piece, a labor-intensive and expensive process.

There are “three legs to the stool” when it comes to textile recycling—collection, sortation, and finally, the processes that turn waste into new, saleable product. Knowing this, recently ...