Textile sorting can learn from the experience of other waste streams, particularly with regard to technological developments and process optimisation. The recycling pyramid is also binding for textiles and prioritises reuse over recycling. Successful sorting requires close cooperation along the entire value chain, especially in the development and implementation of precise recognition technologies and for the definition of sorting criteria. Technologies must reliably identify both macroscopic and microscopic material properties in order to ensure high levels of purity for recycling processes. Additional challenges arise from physical factors such as bending slackness, grain size and the definition of output fractions. Another difficulty is the high variability of the input, which makes it very difficult to reliably forecast the output quantities required by recyclers. Without clear regulations and standards, the scalability of textile sorting remains limited. Greater co-operation between politics, industry and research is required in order to establish efficient and sustainable solutions. In addition to technological innovations, economic incentives must be created to promote the widespread implementation of sorting.