Development of a Sustainability Assessment Framework for the Textile and Fashion Industry Through Analysis of 2026 Textiles Recycling Expo Exhibitors

The textile, apparel, and fashion (TAF) industry generates significant environmental burdens across its entire supply chain. As the global textile recycling market expands, a systematic framework for classifying exhibitors and assessing their sustainability-related characteristics is increasingly needed. This study analyzes exhibitors at the 2026 Textiles Recycling Expo USA, the first specialized textile recycling exhibition in North America, to develop an exploratory sustainability assessment framework. Using qualitative content analysis, 78 exhibiting companies were categorized into four functional groups: (1) Hard-tech Infrastructure, (2) Chemical & Material Innovation, (3) Logistics & Waste Management, and (4) Knowledge & Support Services. Based on a review of sustainability assessment literature in the TAF industry, a four-dimensional framework was developed, encompassing Material Renewability, Process Sustainability, End-of-Life Options, and Technical & Digital Attributes. For a preliminary pilot application, 11 companies were purposively selected and evaluated by eight experts using defined key performance indicators (KPIs). The total scores ranged from 10.3 to 16.3 out of 20, with ESO RECYCLING Società Benefit receiving the highest overall score (16.3), followed by MARGASA (15.8). Across the evaluated companies, Technical & Digital Attributes generally showed relatively lower scores than the other dimensions, indicating comparatively limited publicly evidenced digital traceability capabilities. These findings demonstrate the preliminary applicability of the proposed framework for characterizing heterogeneous exhibitors while highlighting the need for further refinement and validation using larger and more diverse samples.