Methodology

Textile Upcycling - Sorting, Reuse, and Recycling

Generic Requirements - This is a methodology note, projects are certified under Riverse Standard Rules V6.1.

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Overall Available Credits

46047

tCO₂eq

Overall forecasted delivery

246776

tCO₂eq

Most used mechanism

Avoidance

Last Update

N/A

using this methodology

2

Projects

Textile Upcycling - Sorting, Reuse, and Recycling

About the methodology

Certified under Riverse Generic Requirements and Riverse Standard Rules V6, projects in the textile industry address a significant environmental footprint. In the EU, textiles ranked fifth in raw material consumption and GHG emissions in 2020, with textile production alone contributing 80% of the industry's emissions due to energy, water, and chemical use, and causing up to 20% of industrial wastewater pollution globally. Complex supply chains further amplify climate impacts, with 80% of raw materials imported and 75% of emissions occurring outside Europe.

Increasing textile lifespan—through sorting, repurposing, reusing, and upcycling—is a powerful way to reduce emissions. These circular actions add value to used textiles, helping to cut emissions and foster sustainability in the industry.

Textile Upcycling - Sorting, Reuse, and Recycling

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Technology

Textile second-life technologies that are eligible under this methodology note cover projects that involve at least one of the following actions:

Sorting for reuse: used textiles are sorted manually or mechanically into multiple categories, whose output is primarily textile for reuse.
Chemical recycling: irrecoverable waste from sorting facilities, which would otherwise be incinerated or disposed of, is collected for textile chemical recycling. The output materials from this process can include PET granulate or, cellulosic pulp used as raw material to produce yarn.
Mechanical recycling: sorted textiles that are mechanically recycled to produce output materials such as recycled fibers, recycled non-woven fabrics, or downcycled materials.

In addition, textile second-life technologies that are eligible under this methodology note cover projects that:

Do not process textiles from overproduction. If overproduction is processed, the benefits of "reusing" this textile category will be considered out of scope and not be considered for carbon credit issuance;
If upcycling activities are conducted by a partner, the benefits of these activities are considered out of scope, and impacts from transport to the partner's site are accounted for in the GHG assessment.

Retailers or end users of recovered or recycled textiles are not eligible under this methodology note.

Scientific approach

Quantification

Project scenario for the textile upcycling methodology note.

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The methodology quantifies carbon removals and GHG emissions avoided compared to baseline scenarios using the ISO 14064-2 standard. In this methodology, all projects must submit detailed life cycle assessments (LCAs) to quantify emissions accurately. Key aspects include:

Baseline Scenario

The baseline scenario is designed to represent the functionally equivalent business-as-usual processes from the project scenario and consists of two main functions: (a) waste treatment of the textiles after their first life and (b) manufacturing of new textiles. This is broken down into 4 life cycle stages:

Used textiles collection;
Used textile treatment;
Transport of textiles for reuse,
New textile production.

The type of new textile production varies based on the products produced in the project scenario. Table 2 presents possible baseline products based on possible project output.

Project Scenario

The project scenario (Figure 1) is based on the project's activities which serve two functions: (a) waste treatment of the textile after its first life and (b) repurposing, recycling, or upcycling it to produce a “new“ textile. This is broken down into 3 life cycle stages:

Used Textiles Collection;
Used Textile Treatment, including all transformation steps;
Transport to the Use Destination.

Figure 1 illustrates typical project system boundaries for projects focused on sorting for reuse, collecting used textiles from a sample of countries. For chemical and mechanical recycling projects, the technology and outputs might vary, however, inputs are similar: water, chemicals, and electricity.

Core criteria of the methodology

Compliance

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Calculation

We adhere to the ISO14064-2 standard to accurately quantify GHG emissions reductions and sequestration. Our approach ensures that all calculations are transparent, consistent, and reliable.

Our approach

Project Reporting

All our projects must comply with the General Standard Rules in accordance with ICVCM and ICROA requirements. This ensures the highest level of integrity and transparency in our reporting processes.

ICROA accreditation

Audit and Verification

Every project undergoes rigorous validation and recurring verification/monitoring audits by accredited Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs). This process guarantees the credibility and accuracy of our projects' emissions reductions.

List of accredited VVBs

Credit TraceabilitY

Our registry offers end-to-end traceability for the lifecycle of our credits, preventing double counting or double claiming. This system ensures that each credit's history is fully transparent and accountable.

Access Registry

Projects using this methodology

Overall Available Credits

46047

tCO₂eq

browse in registry

2

Projects

Cobenefits most found in the projects

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Eligibility criteria

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All projects must comply with the following eligibility criteria: Measurability, Reality, Additionality, Permanence (not applicable here, avoidance credits), No Double Counting, Co-benefits, Substitution, Environmental and Social Do No Harm, Leakage, Technology Readiness level, Target Alignments, and Minimum Impact.

Project Application

Versioning history

Version management is handled through a system that ensures consistency and traceability of changes.

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