Integrating Circular Economy Practices to Enhance Sustainability in the Textile Industry: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The textile industry plays a significant role in global economic growth, employment, and trade, yet it is among the most resource-intensive and environmentally damaging sectors. Growing concerns about waste, resource scarcity, and pollution highlight the need to shift from linear production towards circular economy systems. In this transition, eco-design has become a key strategy, because it supports circular practices such as durability, repairability, reuse, and recyclability. Although research is growing, work on eco-design in circular textile systems remains scattered, and there is limited understanding of how eco-design principles are integrated into circular economy practices and which factors influence their success. To address this gap, a systematic literature review of 49 peer-reviewed articles was conducted using the SPAR-4-SLR method, and the mechanisms linking eco-design to circular textile systems were identified through thematic synthesis. The organizational, technological, and regulatory factors shaping implementation were also analyzed. The results show that eco-design integration occurs at the product, process, and system levels and requires a combination of technological innovation, organizational capability, and supportive regulation. This review consolidates fragmented knowledge of eco-design within circular economy frameworks and offers insights into the conditions needed to enable circular transformation in the textile sector.