Textile recycling
From WIKIPEDIA
Textile recycling is recovering fiber, yarn, or fabric and reprocessing the material into new, useful products. Textile waste is split into pre-consumer and post-consumer waste and is sorted into five different categories derived from a pyramid model Textiles can be either reused or mechanically/chemically re
cycled.
There has been a shift in recent years toward
recycling textiles because of new regulations in several countries. In
response, companies are developing products from both post-consumer waste and
recycled materials such as plastics. Results from academic studies demonstrate
that textile reuse and recycling are more advantageous than incineration and land
filling.
Waste
Over 100 billion garments are produced
annually, most of which end up in incinerators or landfills. The EPA reported
that in 2018 alone, 17 million tons of textile municipal solid waste (MSW) was
generated. The fashion industry is arguably one of the second biggest polluters
next to the oil industry.[8] By textile
recycling, it decreases landfill space, creates less pollution, and reduces the
consumption of power and water. Most materials used in textile recycling can be
split into two categories: pre-consumer and post-consumer waste.[2]
Poster promoting textile
recycling, World War II, United
Kingdom
Pre-consumer
Pre-consumer waste involves secondary
materials from the textile, fiber, and cotton industries. These products
are repurposed for other industries i.e. furniture, mattress,
coarse yarn, home building, automotive, paper, and apparel.[2]
Pre-consumer can also refer to overstock or
left-over garments that retailers have not been able to sell to consumers.
These left-over garments are then repurposed and used to create new pieces of
clothing while being environmentally sustainable.[9]
Post-consumer
Post-consumer waste consists of textile
garments and household articles that have been discarded by their owners. These
textile articles are typically discarded because they are damaged, worn out, or
outdated. 85% of post-consumer waste in the United States, however, is found in
landfills.[2] The remaining
post-consumer waste can be directed towards second-hand retailers to be resold
or passed on to warehouses dedicated to textile recycling.
Categories
[edit]
Textiles are sorted into categories according
to the pyramid model, which organizes textiles by their quality and usability.[3] These category
placements determine which processes are used to recycle or reuse the textile.[3] Such categories
are: textiles for used clothing markets, textiles for conversion, wiping and
polishing cloths, textiles sent to landfills and incinerators, and diamonds.[3]
Diamonds
[edit]
Diamonds are older, trendier clothing items
that are from high-end, well-known brands.[2] Diamonds make up
1–2% of recycled textiles.[2] Despite being
the smallest category, diamonds generate the largest amount of profit per item
for recycling companies.[2] Clothing and
accessories that are considered diamonds include couture, Harley Davidson, Levi's, Ralph Lauren, and luxury fibers (for
example cashmere).[2] These
second-hand clothing articles are in high demand and can be sold online, in
retail boutiques, or in vintage shops.[2]
Landfill and incineration
[edit]
Around 7% of recycled textile products are either incinerated or placed in a landfill.[2] Textiles that are placed in landfills have no value and are unable to be repurposed; this process is costly and is avoided when possible.[2] Textiles can also be incinerated to produce electrical energy.[2] This practice is more common in Europe than in the United States because European boiler systems have higher capabilities than American boiler systems.[2] Although incinerating municipal solid waste (MSW) is not yet feasible in the United States, over two thirds of MSW is incinerated in countries such as Denmark, Japan, and Switzerland.[10] The energy values of burning MSW have been comparable with oil in terms of calories; however, there are obstacles to this process. These obstacles include increasing incineration efficiency and reducing harmful byproducts of incineration.[10]
Wiping and polishing cloths
[edit]
Around 17% of used textiles are sorted into
the wiping and polishing cloth category.[2] These textiles
are deemed un-wearable and are then used to create wiping and polishing cloths.[2] Wiping and
polishing cloths can be made from a combination of oleophilic and hydrophilic
fibers which are often useful in industrial application.[2] Textiles, such
as T-shirts, are commonly used to create these cloths due to its naturally
absorbent cotton fibers.[2]
Conversion to new products
[edit]
29% of textile waste is reengineered into new
products if deemed unusable.[2] Usability
depends on whether or not the textiles are stained or torn beyond repair.[2] Shoddy and mungo are the two main results of
the reengineering process.[2]
Shoddy involves creating new yarn products
from the old materials, and is one of the most historical examples of textile
recycling.[11] One of the
largest producers of shoddy yarn is Panipat in North India, which has over 300
mills.[12] The majority of
shoddy in Panipat is used to create knit blankets, making up over 90% of the
blankets that are given to communities in disaster relief.[12]
Mungo was invented after shoddy and refers to
the process of using textile clippings to make wool. This wool is exported to
European countries, whose cooler climates and flammability regulations result
in a greater need for mungo.[11]
Shoddy and mungo can be utilized for both high
and low quality products. These reengineered fibers have been used in cashmere
sweaters and in stuffing for furniture, automobiles, and punching bags.[2]
Used clothing markets
[edit]
48% of textiles are sorted into the used clothing markets category.[2] Western countries export used textiles to developing countries or to disaster relief.[2] In developing nations, used Western textiles are highly valued as they are often more affordable than local textiles.[2] Used Western textiles are also sold to the lower and middle classes in more developed countries whose incomes are not large enough to purchase more-expensive, local textiles.[2] Because textile exportation is a global industry, exporters must be conscious of the varying trade regulations and restrictions in different countries.[3]
According to Green America recycled
textiles are sorted by color with zippers and buttons being removed using
magnets and are then spun into yards of thread using weaving. This avoids
materials being sent to landfills or incinerators. [24]
Processing
[edit]
Reuse
[edit]
Textile reuse is the preferable processing
method because it extends the original product's lifetime.[4] Reuse occurs
when textile owners rent, trade, swap, borrow, inherit products through
second-hand stores, garage sales, online/flea markets, or charities.[4] In reusing
textiles, the textile is sometimes changed through cutting and sewing or through decorating the
textiles with paints, patches and other textiles in a process referred to
as DIY.
Recycling
[edit]
Clothes recycling bin in Tin King Estate, Hong Kong
Mechanical
[edit]
Mechanical processing is a recycling method in
which textile fabric is broken down while the fibers are still preserved.[5] Once shredded
down, these fibers can be spun to create new fabrics.[5] This is the most
commonly used technique to recycle textiles and is a process that is
particularly well developed for cotton textiles.[5] Mechanical
processing protocols can differ depending on the material, so it also requires
several levels of sorting before the process begins.
Textiles must be separated by fabric
composition and by color to avoid re-dying and bleaching of materials.[13] Once sorted, the
textile materials can then be shredded, washed, and separated into smaller
fibers.[13] These individual
fibers are then aligned together in a process known as carding in preparation to be spun together.
Some fibers, including cotton, must be spun along with a carrier fiber to
maintain higher quality.[13] These carrier
fibers are most commonly cotton, organic cotton, or polyester. Once the fibers
are spun into new yarn, they can be used to create new textiles. This process
functions as a semi-closed loop of recycling.[5] The number of
times a material can be recycled is dependent on the quality of the fibers,
which decreases with each cycle of mechanical processing.
Mechanical processing can also be used with
materials other than textiles. One common example of this is polyester.[13] In the case of
polyester, the recycled materials are plastic bottles made of polyethylene
terephthalate (PET).[13] In a similar
manner to textiles, plastics are sorted by color and type when they arrive at
recycling facilities.[13] The plastic is
then shredded and washed to break it down and remove contaminants.[13] The dried
plastic remnants are molded into PET pellets and then undergo extrusion to create new fibers.[13] These new fibers
can then be used to create new textiles.
Chemical
[edit]
Chemical processing occurs when textile reuse
is infeasible.[14] This process is
not yet widely implemented, but there are companies that are researching and
integrating chemical recycling.[14] The major small
scale production sites are from Eco Circle, Worn Again, Evrnu, and Ioncell.[14]
Chemical recycling is used on synthetic
fibers, such as polyethylene
terephthalate (PET).[14] These synthetic
fibers can be broken down to create fibers, yarn, and textiles.[14] For PET, the
starting materials are first broken down to the molecular level by using
chemicals that facilitate glycolysis, methanolysis, hydrolysis, and/or ammonolysis.[14] This act
of depolymerization also
removes contaminants from the starting material such as dyes and
unwanted fibers.[15] From here, the
material is polymerized and used to produce textile products.[13]
Unlike the mechanical method of recycling,
chemical recycling produces high-quality fibers similar to the original fiber
used.[13] Therefore, no
new fibers are needed to support the product of the chemical process.[13] Different
chemicals and processes are used for other materials such as nylon and
cellulose-based fibers, but the overall structure of the process is the same.[13]
Textiles made from recycled materials
[edit]
Many companies develop their products from a
combination of recycled post-consumer textile waste as well as other recycled
materials such as plastics.[16] This can be done
for textiles other than clothing as well.[17]
One specific region that is more progressive in applications of recycled textiles is Scandinavia, which has created mainstream market products.[17] In Sweden, companies such as Lindex and H&M are including pre-consumer and post-consumer waste fibers within their new clothing lines.[17]
Growth
[edit]
Main article: Sustainable fashion
A shift toward recycled textiles
[edit]
New regulations for the textile industry have
been introduced in several countries that favor the use of recycled materials.
On March 30, 2022, the European Commission published
the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles which outlines the EU’s
action plan to achieve better sustainability and regulation within the textile
industry.[6] The European
Commission’s goal for 2030 is to encourage consumers to invest in high quality
products rather than “fast-fashion”, and to ensure all textile products are
durable, whether they are recycled materials or not.[6] The EU's
strategy includes regulating overproduction, reducing the release of microplastics during production, and
utilizing EU Extended Producer Responsibility to ensure producers are acting
sustainably.[6]
In response to shifting consumer expectations,
investments in textile recycling companies have increased to achieve better
sustainability in the textile industry.[18] Inditex and Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy
Ventures invested in the start-up recycling company Circ in July 2022, which
has patented new technologies to reengineer used fibers.[19] In July
2021, H&M and Adidas invested in the chemical recycling
company Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) which produces a reengineered fiber that
is similar to cotton and is biodegradable.[20] Goldman Sachs led an investment in
mechanically recycled cotton company Recover Textile
Systems in June 2022.[21]
Many luxury fashion brands are publicly displaying their investment in sustainability approaches, with a common goal to shift towards circular systems and utilizing re-engineered and/or biodegradable materials in their collections.[22]
Environmental impact
[edit]
Textile reuse and textile recycling processes
are the most environmentally friendly methods of processing textiles, while
incineration and landfilling are considered to be the least environmentally
friendly.[7] When comparing
textile reuse to textile recycling, textile reuse is more advantageous.[7] A Swedish study
found that for each tonne of textile waste, textile reuse can save 8 tonnes of
CO2 in terms of global warming
potential (GWP) and 164 GJ of energy usage.[23] In comparison,
textile recycling saves 5.6 tonnes of CO2 in terms of GWP
and 116 GJ of energy usage.[23]
There are a few circumstances under which
recycling and reuse might be less effective. For instance, regarding recycling,
the benefits might be offset if the replacement rates are relatively low, if
recycling is energized by fossil fuels, or if the avoided manufacture procedures
are clean. Also, concerning reuse, the environmental impact of transport
may surpass the upsides of the avoided manufacturing, unless the use life of
the reused item is considerably prolonged. These circumstances should be considered when advocating, designing and implementing new textile recycling
and reuse procedures.[24]
