Circularity of hazardous substances

Applying a circular economy approach to products containing hazardous substances could cause unknown and unintended harm to human and environmental health. Recycling these products could lead to contamination of other recycled material streams, resulting in higher concentrations of hazardous chemicals in recycled materials.

Nº 33

Companies: H&M and IKEA

  • N/D
  • Waste Reduction
  • Promotion of Circularity
some attempts made
past case
Region-1
Region-2
Region-3
Region-4
ongoing case
no attempts made

None

Circularity of hazardous substances

Applying a circular economy approach to products containing hazardous substances could cause unknown and unintended harm to human and environmental health. Recycling these products could lead to contamination of other recycled material streams, resulting in higher concentrations of hazardous chemicals in recycled materials.

In 2017, a study conducted by the industry examined the chemical composition of post-consumer textiles from different regions of the world that were being prepared for recycling. The results showed that hazardous chemicals were present in a significant proportion of post-consumer cotton (78%), post-consumer polyester (90%) and post-consumer wool (100%) samples. Among the most commonly identified substances in cotton and wool was nonylphenol (NPEO), a widely banned chemical known to have adverse reproductive effects and high toxicity to aquatic life. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are highly carcinogenic, were frequently found in polyester. Other substances such as flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), phthalates and heavy metals have also been found. These chemicals, often referred to as ‘legacy chemicals’, pose a barrier to recycling materials because of the potential risk of contamination to future users.

  • Facilitated the efforts to address the initial problem
  • Cascading (far-reaching effects following each other)

Eidse, J. (2019). Legacy Chemicals: Can we Recycle our Toxic Textiles? Suston – Sustainable Outdoor News. Available at https://sustonmagazine.com/2021/11/27/legacy-chemicals-with-oeko-tex/

H&M Group; IKEA. (2019). Collaborative Study on Chemicals in Recycled Textiles. H&M Group and IKEA.

Beekman, M., Bakker, J. C., Bodar, C. W. M., van Leeuwen, L. C., Waaijers-van der Loop, S. L., Zijp, M. C., & Verhoeven, J. K. (2020). Coping with substances of concern in a circular economy.

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