Although there are national and municipal policies in place tackling waste management procedures, such as the EU Waste Directives for separate textile collection by 2025, the lack of substantial legal framework for second-hand textiles and mandated policies for recycled textiles does not support the successful long-term implementation of technologies such as the Fibersort. Policy development such as the establishment of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) approach for textiles throughout NWE countries, in line with the EPR approach established in France in 2006, is recognised as a major area of improvement in the support towards the achievement of a circular textile industry. Countries such as the Netherlands or the UK are already looking into these opportunities. Other areas of support identified are related to tax incentives, dissemination and adoption of standards on recycled content and environmentally sound practices, and investment support for the private sector in order to achieve substantial change.

In addition, international trade law often acts as a barrier to the smooth flow of textiles, since import and export restrictions from production countries differ from each other. Regulatory differences between trading countries regarding chemical use and product safety also need to be assessed further to provide a feasible solution towards aligning the international flow of PCT with existing regulation.