Recycling of Electronic Textiles: Methods, Material Challenges, and Circularity Strategies for Wearable Electronics

Abstract

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of wearable electronics and smart textiles has generated a new category of hybrid waste unaddressed by existing textile or electronic recycling systems. Electronic textiles (e‐textiles) combine fibers, conductive materials, and embedded components in complex structures that hinder their efficient separation, recovery, and reuse. Despite significant advances in materials and device development, recycling strategies and circular design principles for e‐textiles remain underexplored. This review synthesizes current recycling methods for e‐textiles, categorizing physical, thermal, chemical, and hybrid approaches, and evaluating their effectiveness in recovering individual components. It examines limitations in compatibility with conventional recycling pathways arising from conductive inks, multilayer encapsulation, fiber‐based energy devices, and composite fabric structures. In parallel, emerging circularity strategies, including design‐for‐disassembly, monomaterial systems, biodegradable conductors, and modular architectures, are assessed for their potential to enable closed‐loop recycling and sustainable end‐of‐life management. Additionally, evolving policy landscape, industrial initiatives, and life‐cycle assessments that contextualize environmental impacts and technological feasibility are analyzed. Finally, key research gaps and future directions are identified, emphasizing the need for standardized recycling protocols, scalable recovery technologies, and circular‐product design frameworks. This review aims to guide researchers, manufacturers, and policymakers in developing sustainable and circular solutions for the next generation of wearable electronic systems.