Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of technologies for traceability within the Swedish textile recycling industry. This study further aims to investigate the status of information collection and management in the textile recycling industry and the factors which are affecting the implementation of different traceability technologies, such as blockchain technology.   Design/ Methodology/ Approach: This study followed a qualitative exploratory approach as there is little prior knowledge regarding usage of traceability technologies, such as blockchain technology in the Swedish textile recycling industry. Primary data was collected by semi-structured interviews, and it was analysed through thematic analysis. Purposive sampling was used to collect relevant data. The sample included experts from the academia and industry, who have knowledge in the field of textile recycling and traceability technologies.   Findings: The findings suggest that there is no available information collection and management systems that enable efficient recycling processes. Moreover, there is a lack of infrastructure for collecting and sorting the textile waste, cost and technological challenges hampering the potential of efficient textile recycling and the possibility to create an efficient circular supply chain in Sweden. There are four factors which affect the opportunities and challenges for implementation of traceability technologies, such as blockchain technology, these are: management and decision making, integration and collaboration, rules and regulations and value creation through blockchain in the textile recycling industry.   Implications: This study may contribute to reshaping the traditional view on where traceability technologies can be implemented to create efforts to enhance the circular economy principles, as suggested by literature from the previous stages in a supply chain. This study suggests that blockchain technology may enhance information sharing in a circular supply chain within the textile recycling industry. It further shows that the textile recyclers have the potential to implement blockchain technology from their stage to minimise the information gaps which are currently existing.   Originality/ Value: The academic literature lacks practical cases and exploration regarding the usage of traceability technologies such as blockchain technology at the textile recycling stage and this study tries to explore if it would be beneficial for the textile recycling industry in Sweden.

Klädindustrin är idag en stor bidragande orsak till negativa miljöpåverkningar. Om avtrycket från den industrin ska minska behöver det ”fast fashion” fasas ut och ett nytt sätt att se på kläder implementeras. De enklaste sätten att minska avtrycket är att återanvända eller återvinna kläder. Renewcell återvinner textilier och bryter ner bomullen och återvinner den som nytt material - Circulose®. Det materialet skickas vidare för att bli nya kläder och på så sätt stängs loopen för textilindustrin. Av produktionen av Circulose® tillkommer ett nytt slags processavlopp som inte hunnits forskas mycket på. Paralleller till textilindustrin kan visserligen dras och där är processavloppen av heterogen karaktär. Renewcell vill se om det går att reducera det organiska materialet i avloppet till en nivå på 10 mg/l. Den här studien vill hjälpa till att fylla det forskningsgap som finns för reningsteknik inom textilåtervinningsindustrin idag. Med en ny marknad i uppstart är det viktigt att avlopp hanteras på ett bra och ansvarsfullt sätt. Syftet med studien var att undersöka experimentellt och litterärt om det går att reducera ner BOD7 i Renewcells processavloppet till 10 mg/l. En MBBR har efterforskats och jämförts med en MBR, där en MBBR ansågs vara mer resistent mot variationer och farliga ämnen. Det byggdes en MBBR i laborationsskala kopplat till processavloppet för att analysera reduktionen av BOD7 och för att göra en experimentell undersökning hur den kemiska fällningen påverkas om vattnet behandlades biologiskt först. Studien resulterade i att Renewcells karaktär på processavlopp är heterogent och är hanterbart av mikroorganismer. Dock, på grund av att ingen fullt utvecklad biofilm nåddes samt variationer i processen är det fortfarande osäkert om det fungerar att implementera en MBBR hos Renewcell. Processförändringar som ett produktionsstopp är inga problem för en fullt utvecklad MBBR att hantera. Processavloppet innehåller en stor mängd organiskt material, men saknar tillräckligt med näringsämnen. För detta projekt var 58 % reduktion av BOD7 den högsta som redovisades och det nåddes inte heller en fullt utvecklad biofilm. Att biologiskt behandla avloppet innan en kemisk fällning gav positiva resultat då reduktionen av metalljoner förbättrades. Allt som allt anses det vara möjligt att implementera en MBBR hos Renewcell om rätt förutsättningar finns och det ges en möjlighet att utveckla en biofilm fullt ut. Förhoppningsvis kan denna förstudie visa vägen för vidare studier inom området. / The clothing industry is one of the major causes for negative environmental impacts. The “fast-fashion” needs to be phased out and a more climate-friendly way of using clothes implemented. The easiest ways to do this is to reuse or recycle clothes. Renewcell recycles used textiles and dissolve the cotton into pulp and makes a new material of it - Circulose®, which is sent to become new clothes and, in that way, helps to close the loop for textile industry. With the production of Circulose® a new kind of wastewater is produced which has not yet been thoroughly researched. A parallel to the textile industry’s wastewater can be drawn, and that is of heterogeneous nature and can change quickly from day to day. It is in Renewcell’s interest to reduce the organic matter in the wastewater, more than they do today with their current chemical and mechanic wastewater treatment plant does. This study wants to help fill the research gap that exists for purification technology in the textile recycling industry today. Since it is a new field of technology, it is of importance to thoroughly invest in how to treat the wastewater responsibly. The purpose of this study was to investigate, both experimentally and literary, whether the possibility to reduce BOD7 to 10 mg/l in the wastewater treatment plant. With an investigation of MBBR and by compare it with an MBR it was concluded that a MBBRis a better fit for Renewcell since it is considered to be more resistant to variations and hazardous substances. To strengthen that conclusion a MBBR in laboratory scale was built and wastewater directly from the recycling process treated. The reduction of BOD7 and how it would come to affect the chemical precipitation was analyzed. The results of the study concluded that Renewcells wastewater is heterogenous and manageable for microorganisms. However, the due to the variations in the process such as dosing of biologically harmful substances it might not be possible for Renewcell to implement a MBBR. Process variations as a stop in production of wastewater for a shorter time period is manageable. The wastewater contains enough organic matter, but an extra addition of nutrients is needed. For this project the MBBR-process fluctuated in reduction of organic matter and the highest amount achieved was 58 %. No fully developed biofilm was achieved either. Biologically treating the process effluent before the chemical precipitation gave positive results as the reduction of metal ions was improved. All in all, it is believed to be possible to implement a MBBR at Renewcell if the process is given the required conditions from the beginning and a biofilm can be fully developed. Hopefully, this pilot study can show the way for future research within the field.