The personal protective equipment (PPE) of various emergency services (for example police, rescue services, fire department clothing, station wear etc.) is made from a fibre blend of high-performance fibres such as aramids. These fibres not only offer very good performance against heat, they are also interesting as a secondary raw material for other applications, as the decisive fibre properties are inherent and therefore still present at the end of the life cycle even after numerous washes, yet they are currently only thermally recycled at the end of their wearing life. The aim of the ReFi(b)re project is to recover these fibres through mechanical recycling (fiber-to-fiber recycling) and use them as a yarn based on the highest possible amount of recycled fibres in new clothing for heat protection. Unfortunately, a highly complex combination of functions is at odds with a recycling-friendly design. When recycling textiles, purity of type is desired, but reality confronts us with a large quantity of fiber blends due to cost optimization or to achieve certain properties. Therefore, PPE should first be analysed with regard to recyclability and design optimizations should be identified. The focus of this project approach is on the staple fibre quality so that it can be processed in the spinning. The hurdles in recycling of post-consumer waste (used PPE) will be highlighted and the resulting consequences along the value chain if these hurdles are not taken into account.