Recycling old textiles into new textiles is one way of reducing waste. However, scaling textile recycling will require coordination between designers, buyers, collectors and recyclers.
I have written about how to increase clothing utilization, a strategy that is preferable to buying clothes and recycling them at the end of their useful life. However, recycling is an important part of a circular economy and one that we cannot ignore.
Most of the recycled polyester used in apparel comes from plastic water bottles rather than discarded clothes. While this is certainly admirable, it does not solve the problem of so many clothes entering landfills.
Some statistics
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year
- 85% of clothing goes to the landfill, but 95% can be recycled
- Less than 1% of apparel is recycled into new clothes
Four actions outlined in the Ellen MacArthur report will increase recycling rates.
Align clothing design and textile recycling processes
Today not enough thought goes into what happens to apparel at the end of its useful life. Blended fabrics are often used, which cannot be separated and recycled at the end of life. However, by simply using one fiber type, the success of recycling improves dramatically.
A few examples of products designed for disassembly include:
C&A and G-Star both implemented thoughtful design principles during the design and development of the C&A Cradle to Cradle T Shirt and G Star’s most sustainable jean ever. Garments are made from one fiber type, and are easily disassembled and sorted at the end of their useful life. In addition, the resulting waste streams can be recycled into other textiles, or if they are biodegradable, can be composted without negatively impacting the environment.
Certified wood is used to make EcoVero™, a new viscose fiber from Lenzing. In addition, EcoVero™ is “tagged”with a special technology that increases product transparency by tracking it through the supply chain. Tagging technology may help scale textile recycling by making fiber identification easier for improved sorting, higher material recovery and better quality recycled yarns.
Pursue innovation to improve the quality and economics of textile recycling
If garments were made with only one fiber type, textile recycling would be easier, but this is not feasible or realistic. Therefore, innovative solutions that improve sorting and fiber separation should be encouraged. Some of the efforts include:
Better apparel and fabric sorting
Separating apparel and fabrics by fiber type and color will drastically improve recycling. One benefit of sorting by color means that some recycled yarns do not need to be re-dyed. However, this only really works for fabrics made from one fiber such as cotton or nylon. I:Co a company that takes back and sorts apparel has been successful and is scaling rapidly.
Other technologies include visual spectroscopy and Near Infrared technologies, both of which can improve sorting by fiber type and color.
Separating fabric blends
Fiber recycling would be easier if fabric blends could be separated into fiber types. Moral Fiber and Worn Again use chemical recycling and other technologies to separate fabrics into fiber streams. The potential of these technologies is impressive: zero waste, greater transparency and conservation.
Depending on the fiber type, the resulting recycled material does not yield the same quality as its virgin counterpart. Mechanically recycled cotton is weaker than virgin cotton because the fiber length is shorter, whereas mechanically recycled polyester from plastic bottles yields a high quality fiber that is almost identical to its virgin counterpart.
Stimulate demand for recycled materials
There are numerous examples of brand commitments to use more recycled materials in their products. Adidas committed to using only recycled plastics in its supply chain by 2024 and Everlane committed to using no new plastic by 2021, which includes product, packaging and single use plastics.
The Global Fashion Agenda, one of the organizations trailblazing circular textiles is working with its signatories to increase the share of garments made from recycled textile fibers.
Additional needs for stimulating demand include advantageous policies for recycled content and better matching supply to demand.
Implement and scale clothing collection
The final recommendation is scaling clothing collection. There are many examples of successful take-back initiatives thanks to brands and retailers such as H&M and Zara.
There are several ways to collect unwanted clothing, and these include:
- Municipal waste collection
- Curbside collection and home pick-up
- Retailer drop-off or brand mail-back
- Charity drop-off
These methods do not exist in all countries and therefore it will be a challenge to implement waste-collection globally. In fact it will take a concerted effort, driven by new policies, tax-incentives and guidelines, to scale clothing collection.
Do you need help with your circular strategy?
For help with sustainability, circularity and chemicals, contact Amanda Cattermole at (415) 412 8406 or Amanda@cattermoleconsulting.com. We can help you develop powerful solutions to protect your company and brand reputation.
Tips and Insights contains information to help you make informed sustainability decisions. Each post highlights a particular topic and includes questions you may want to consider for your business.