Life Cycle Assessment of chemical recycling of PET-cotton textile waste

Blended textiles like polyester–cotton are everywhere, but they are notoriously hard to recycle. Most end up burned or in landfills, wasting valuable resources. This thesis explores a different approach: breaking down polyester using a chemical process called glycolysis while recovering cotton fibres at the same time. Using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the study looked at the full process from collecting and sorting waste, to turning it back into new polyester and regenerated cellulose fibres. The results are promising: recycling through glycolysis cuts greenhouse gas emissions, fossil resource demand, and water use compared to making fibres from scratch. The process also works well when combined with new sorting tools like Digital Product Passports, which help improve input quality. Even when tested under uncertainty, the recycling pathway consistently outperforms virgin production. Altogether, the findings show that chemical recycling via glycolysis can play a key role in building a more circular and sustainable textile industry.