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The production of textile fibres is extremely water, land, energy and chemical intensive and relies heavily on finite resources.
To enable our increasing consumption habits, global textile fibre production has risen to ±90 million tonnes per year (the equivalent of ±80 billion garments per year) (Source). According to the report 'Sustainable Textiles for Apparel: Fact, Fiction and Future Prospects', a doubling in the number of consumers and an 84% hike in demand for textile fibres over the next 20 years will stretch resources to their breaking point (Source). This level of production is both economically unstable and ecologically unsustainable.
Today, 20 million tonnes of textiles are being landfilled or incinerated every year in the EU and US alone. An estimated 95% of all these textiles, could be re-worn or recycled (Source). The challenge is how can we curb virgin fibre production and utilise textile waste?
In 2015, ReBlend joined Circle Economy’s member community to take their project to the next level, and push the potential of mixed post-consumer recycling. As a pioneering, Dutch circular fashion and textiles agency, Reblend’s mission is to show the world that mixed post-consumer textiles can be recycled into new high quality products, thereby making the case for closed loop textiles.
Recycling is focused on pure materials (100% cotton, wool or polyester). What we wear is mostly a blend of materials. It is easy to see that this creates a huge gap between theory and reality!
- Anita de Wit, Reblend
Leveraging untapped ‘waste’ streams to create new textiles on a large scale would enable a drastic reduction in the need for virgin textile resources and significantly reduce the negative impacts associated with virgin cotton fibre production and textile waste.
High value or textile-to-textile recycling enables leftover textile fabrics or garments that are no longer in use to be redirected back into the textiles loop as recycled raw materials, to create circular fashion.
The ultimate aim of this collaboration between, Reblend, Circle Economy, and and Recover, was to demonstrate to the market that, through high-value recycling, post-consumer textile waste (>70%) can be transformed into high-quality, beautiful and unique textile products, with a minimal environmental impact!
In this project, almost 7 tonnes of post consumer garments were processed to produce 6 tonnes of new 100% recycled yarns. Four different colour yarns were made with 70% recycled post consumer garments and and 30% RPET.
Circle Economy performed a Life Cycle Assessment on one of the recycled yarns (White Cream) to asses the environmental impact savings associated with producing ReBlend’s 100% recycled yarns. The analysis shows a decrease in energy use by 33%, a reduction in water consumption by 62%, and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 18%, in comparison with virgin yarn of similar composition.
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/high_value_reuse_textile_recycling" ]Read the full report[/cta]
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Our Circle Textiles Program has a unique focus on end-of life and whole-systems redesign. The ultimate goal of the program is to achieve a zero-waste industry, by developing and establishing a commercial and scalable model for closing the loop on post-industrial, pre-consumer and post-consumer textiles. We collaborate closely with members of our member network and our community of collectors, sorters, recyclers, brands and cities to develop groundbreaking pilot projects, that can create best practices for the future.
To learn more about how your company can become a member of the Circle Textiles community contact us!
[cta link="mailto:Annerieke@circle-economy.com" ]Contact us[/cta]
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