Textile Waste to Soil Amendment
A greenhouse study testing char made from end-of-use hospital poly/cotton textiles as a soil amendment for Canadian agriculture.
What happens when we turn hard-to-recycle hospital textiles into char, and grow food with it? This pilot tested two application rates and tracked plant growth, soil health, and nutrient uptake.
What you’ll get from this report
A plain-language summary for material processors, manufacturers, brands, and other non-technical readers
Pilot results at a glance (growth, biomass, soil chemistry, tissue nutrients)
Practical guidance on application rate (what helped vs. what suppressed growth)
A feasibility snapshot (market segments, barriers, and certification considerations)
A replicable pilot framework for other Canadian regions and crops
Key Findings
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2× leaf growth
Low-rate char (2 t/ha) produced ~24 leaves vs ~12 in the control by Day 32
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+23% dry shoot biomass
2 t/ha: 7.01 g vs control 5.69 g.
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+56% root biomass
2 t/ha: 2.31 g vs control 1.48 g.
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High rate suppressed yield
12 t/ha reduced fresh shoot weight to 26.55 g vs control 49.12 g.
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“Rate matters” takeaway
Low rate helped. High rate hindered. Optimizing application rate is essential.
Why this matters
Blended textiles are hard to recycle at scale. This pilot explores an open-loop circular pathway: turning hospital textile waste into a carbon-rich material that may support soil health and agricultural resilience.
Diverts a difficult waste stream
Tests an industrial symbiosis pathway (textiles → agriculture)
Generates early evidence to guide safer field trials
Led by Fanshawe College’s Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI), with research in collaboration with Western University’s ICFAR, and supported by Fashion Takes Action and CCTC partners including Goodwill Ontario Great Lakes, with funding from NSERC and Fashion Takes Action. We welcome new academic and industry partners to collaborate on future pilots. Be part of what comes next.
