04/20/2026

Tipping the Scale: Mass Balance in Chemical Recycling (4/20/26)

Accelerating Circularity today announced the release of its latest paper, Tipping the Scale: Mass Balance in Chemical Recycling, developed through the Alliance for Chemical Recycling (ACTR) working group. The paper offers a detailed look at how mass balance is being applied to track material flows and attribute recycled content across complex textile value chains. Mass balance is a chain of custody model in which materials with defined characteristics are mixed with conventional materials under controlled conditions, with outputs attributed through verifiable bookkeeping. The approach is widely used in the textile industry and is an essential tool as a mechanism to support textile-to-textile recycling systems, where material complexity and global supply chains present ongoing traceability and scaling challenges. This paper examines how mass balance functions in practice, including how inputs and outputs are tracked, how recycled content is accounted for, and what considerations are necessary to ensure credible implementation across the value chain. “Tipping the Scales whitepaper was developed through our Alliance of Chemical Textiles Recyclers. We provide not only definitions but examples of how mass balance works in existing textile and other markets. With input from a variety of both polyester and cotton chemical textile recyclers it provides multiple perspectives on how mass balance supports the scaling of recycling technologies into the existing textile supply chain.” — Karla Magruder, Founder and Board Chair, Accelerating Circularity “Mass balance can be a useful means to track and trace sustainable products throughout the distribution chain when inputs are mixed and physical segregation of material is not possible. At the LYCRA Company we support both dedicated production of sustainable materials and mass balance systems as ultimately, both will be required to meet the industry’s sustainability goals.” — Jean Hegedus, Sustainability Consultant, The Lycra Company "As the textile industry works to scale circular systems, aligning on approaches like mass balance is becoming increasingly important. Tipping the Scale brings together perspectives from across the value chain to support a more informed and consistent understanding of how the model can be applied." To continue the conversation, Accelerating Circularity will host a live discussion on April 28 from 9:30–10:30 AM EST / 15:30–16:30 CET, featuring Karla Magruder (Accelerating Circularity), Jean Hegedus (The LYCRA Company), and Maurizio Crippa (Gr3N). The session will explore how mass balance is being implemented today and what it looks like in real-world systems.