From fashion to pure functionality, textiles shape our everyday lives; however, behind every garment lies a complex system of production, consumption, and waste, with an influence that extends far beyond personal use. At least in EU, textiles represent the fourth highest pressure category for climate change and use of primary raw materials, the fifth for greenhouse gas emissions, and the third for water and land use. In addition, synthetic textiles, such as polyester, release micro-plastic fibers during washing, posing risks to marine life and ecosystems. This work is part of a broader European research project called "Emerald" and an innovative textile sorting system was developed by coupling NIR spectroscopy with robotic manipulation, aiming to provide a scalable and efficient alternative to existing hyper/multispectral camera setups and conveyor-based sorting lines, largely deriving from established technologies used for sorting plastic materials.