The world of fashion is witnessing new advancements in textile recycling, with the development of innovative fabrics like Econyl, X2 Plus, Returnity, and SaXcell. These fabrics, birthed from recycling, primarily consist of waste materials and are designed to be reused or recycled, promising several life cycles.
Econyl is a unique form of nylon, completely sourced from waste, including old fishing nets and discarded carpets. It’s presented as an eco-friendly alternative to Nylon 6, which typically originates from caprolactam, an oil byproduct. Swimwear companies were the first to incorporate Econyl fibres as their products are predominantly made of nylon. Other brands, like Koru Swimwear and Adidas, might follow suit. Econyl isn’t just limited to swimwear. It’s suitable for creating sportswear, lingerie, and outdoor apparel.
“Returnity”, a fully recyclable polyester, is gradually replacing conventional polyester, as well as cotton and wool-based fabrics. According to Dutch aWEARness, the licensee of this product in Europe, Returnity fabrics reduce CO2 emissions by 73%, waste management by 90% and water consumption by 95% compared to cotton. Workwear market mainly benefits from Returnity as it’s easier to manage recycling of corporate outfits. However, its usage can be expanded, especially to areas where polyester is the fabric of choice, like sportswear, outdoor apparel, and jackets. Companies like H&M and Marks & Spencer are closely monitoring these developments. H&M’s environmental sustainability coordinator, Carola Tembe, expressed the firm’s long-term objective to reuse and recycle all textile fibres and incorporate yarns made from recovered textiles in their products. She recognized numerous impressive projects and research efforts in this field, with the goal to find a scalable, effective solution for textile recycling that equals or surpasses the quality of new fibres. Although H&M has begun utilizing pre and post-consumer recycled textile waste in its products, there are challenges. For instance, the maximum amount of mechanically recycled post-consumer cotton that can be used without affecting the quality is only 20%.
The mechanical recycling process reconstitutes textile fibres, but the resultant fibres are shorter and inferior in quality to new fibres. To meet quality standards, they must be combined with fresh fibres. Creating more resilient fabrics that can be reused multiple times could be a step towards closed-loop clothing or leasable fibres. This might allow fabric providers or textile manufacturers to retain ownership of a garment’s raw materials. This development is highly encouraging as clothing material is one of the major waste groups in landfills.
Fabric Recycling Innovations
| Fabric | Key Features | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Econyl | Made from waste, fully recyclable | Swimwear, Sportswear, Lingerie, Outdoor clothing |
| Returnity | 100% Recyclable polyester, reduces CO2 emissions by 73%, waste by 90%, water consumption by 95% | Workwear, Sportswear, Outdoor wear, Jackets |
Key Challenges in Textile Recycling
- Mechanically recycled fibres are shorter and inferior to virgin fibres.
- Mixing with fresh fibres is necessary to achieve quality standards.
- For recycled cotton, only 20% of post-consumer fibre can be used without quality reduction.
Opportunities in Textile Recycling
- Development of closed-loop clothing and leasable fibres.
- Potential for fabric suppliers to retain ownership of a garment’s raw materials.
- Reduced dependence on landfills for clothing disposal.