Textile recycling innovation – with less than 1% of fabrics currently recycled, who are the innovators bucking the global trend?

The USD 1.3 trillion global fashion industry consumes huge quantities of raw materials, including natural materials, synthetics and bio-based ingredients. These are cleaned, coloured and processed into fibre and fabric. What remains is waste textile and garments. This article will tackle the end of life aspects of textiles and what they can become in a second life to support the circular economy. The sustainability of the raw materials and colour systems are separate discussions. See also Ethical colour in fashion and textiles.
According to Ellen Macarthur Foundation Report, A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future (2017), less than 1% of fabric waste and end of life garments are recycled back into new fabrics, 12% is down-cycled into new products (like acoustic insulation and sheet materials), and nearly three-quarters ends up in landfill or incineration. Textiles are also recognised as a primary source of microplastics, with the first few washes contributing the majority over a garment’s lifecycle. Recycling reduces the release of microplastic emissions during production, and waste management helps to reduce secondary emissions from littering and mismanaged waste. However, if proper waste management systems are not implemented at the recycling plant, there is a risk that mechanical processing of degraded fibres can release additional microplastics and microfibres into the environment.
Textiles are often multicolour composites made up of two or more types of fibre, which may have very different recycling behaviour. it is expensive, time consuming, and sometimes impossible, to separate and sort them for recycling. This is a huge loss to the industry, both financially and environmentally. There are a few innovative companies working hard to change that and maintain the textiles in a circular economy.
Mechanical fibre recycling for new textiles
Waste fabrics and production offcuts are collected, sorted and shredded. Once in smaller pieces, it is possible to extract the fibres through a process of combing. It is quite harsh on the fabric and degrades fibre length, but is able to pull the staple fibres apart into a airy mix. This may be converted directly into nonwoven fabrics, such as the familiar mottled grey cloths used in packaging and removals.
The best quality raw material tends to come from pre-consumer waste, which is traceable and of known composition. This process, which converts waste textile back into fibre, is very different from using recycled ingredients from other sources, such as polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), polyester. This raw material comes primarily from waste packaging, such as transparent water bottles. The plastic is shredded and melted back into pellets, which are spun to make fibre. It is controversial because it removes plastic from packaging and converts it into textile, most of which goes to landfill. If it stays in packaging then it has a 50% chance of being recycled again.
Circular Systems developed Texloop, a global platform to reclaim industrial cotton textile waste and convert it into RCOT recycled cotton. In this way, they can guarantee that they preserve as much of the original fibre as possible, maintaining its quality for the next round of recycling. Based on the same model, Valérius 360 recycle pre-consumer cotton waste, including production off-cuts, overproduction and unsold stock. It is mixed with lyocell regenerated cellulose or organic cotton and converted into new staple yarn.
The more valuable the fibre, then the greater the financial incentive to create methods for extracting and reusing it. Carbon fibre (CF) used in high-performance aerospace, automotive and sports applications, is worth more than 10x the price of polyester per kg. Whilst it is impractical to separate it from cured composites, offcuts and leftover from production are valuable waste materials. Gen 2 Carbon in the UK produce recycled carbon fibre (rCF) from industrial waste and the cost is around 40% less than virgin CF, whilst retaining 90% of its tensile strength and 100% stiffness.
Recycling waste fibre into other products
Post-consumer recycled (PCR) textile waste contains all types of fibre material, length and profile. While the variability in material and quality means it is not suitable for fashion textiles, it can be converted into other types of products. This process keeps the material in circulation—sometimes described as cascade recycling—and so retains some of its value. However, in many cases, the material is converted into a new product with little or no recycling potential. This is inevitable when the fibre mix makes it impractical and uneconomic to recycle. Ideally, materials entering the market are constructed in textiles in a way that promotes recycling back into new fabrics, or other products of equal value.
Several companies are producing sheet materials from recycled textiles, such as for furniture and interior applications. These semi-structural panels, similar in construction to automotive interior parts such as liners for doors and roofs, rely on the melt-processability of synthetic fibres. These may be already contained within the mix, or added to ensure performance. The fibres are mixed and converted into nonwoven fabric, such as by needle punching. Once entangled, the sheet is compressed and heat applied, which begins to melt the synthetic content. On cooling, the synthetic fibres solidify and so bind the panel together. In this way, the density, strength and stiffness may be adjusted by controlling the amount of heat and pressure applied.
Kvadrat Really recycled textiles are made with post-consumer and industrial waste. They are sorted by colour and mixed with bio-based polypropylene (bio-PP) and polyethylene (bio-PE). The materials are compressed into panels. The bio-based plastics, which make up 26% of the material, act as the binder holding the mixed fibre waste together in lightweight rigid panels. Upparel UPtex is a similar product made with compressed recycled textile fibres. It can be produced at an array of densities and thicknesses from 3-100 mm depending on the required application. This ranges from soft cushioning to rigid panels, such as for packaging, signage, homewares and acoustic insulation. The same company makes a product called FillUP, which is recycled textile fill made with fibres that have been shredded and opened up. It provides an alternative to virgin fibre fill in upholstery, furniture, cushions and toys.
Rezign bio-based and recycled panels include waste textile, but also flax, hemp and a starch-based biodegradable binder. They are suitable for furniture, interiors and acoustic panels. Likewise, FabBRICK recycle textile waste to make interior tiles, bricks and boards. Textiles are shredded, mixed with bio-based adhesive and compressed.
Denimtex have taken a different approach. They produce a stucco-like wall covering material made with recycled textile combined with bio-based adhesive. They claim it is sound-absorbing, fire-retardant, moisture-regulating and suitable for almost every surface. As a wall finish it provides an alternative to conventional building materials like gypsum and lime. Sticking with building and construction, UltraTouch is a recycled denim insulation by Bonded Logic. It is made up of 80% post-consumer recycled (PCR) denim and cotton fibres.
Colour from waste fabric
A form of mechanical recycling, but with a different end result, waste textiles are ground up and converted into pigments for dyes. The textiles are separated by colour and pulverised into a fine powder. Currently used to dye textiles and for printing, it is possible that pigments could be developed for other applications, like colouring plastics.
Officina+39 have developed a unique process to create Recycrom pigment powders from waste textiles. The fibres are transformed into an incredibly fine powder that can be used as a pigment dye for fabrics and garments made of cotton, wool, polyamide (PA), nylon or any natural fibre and blends. FiberColors dye by Archroma is made with at least 50% recycled raw materials. Mixed textiles including cellulose, nylon, and their blends, are mechanically broken down into powder used to make a range of five colours.
Regenerated cellulose from waste
The regenerated cellulose fibre production process involves the complete dissolution of cellulosic materials, such as cotton, wood and bamboo. Using solvent, the cellulose is converted into a dope that can be spun into a filament. The solvent is removed to produce the finished textile fibre. It is possible to use recycled materials for the feedstock, such as waste cotton, as well as viscose, rayon and cellulose fibres, among others. The sustainability of the fibre is further enhanced through the use of the lyocell process, with recycles the production chemicals in an nearly closed loop process. Conventional viscose and rayon production generates some environmentally hazardous products such as carbon sulphide (CS2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) during regeneration.
The recycling process slightly degrades the quality of the cellulose, reducing the strength and resilience of the fibre. As a result, Tencel Refibra regenerated cellulose textile combines recycled cotton waste from garment production (up to one third) and wood pulp sourced from sustainably managed forests to make virgin Tencel Lyocell, which is recyclable and biodegradable. Nucycl regenerated cellulose fibre by Evrnu is produced from cotton-rich waste from industry and discarded consumer fashion items. Cellulose is extracted and converted into lyocell fibre. Infinna (Infinited Fiber) regenerated cellulose fibre is produced from mixed textile waste with high cotton (or cellulose) content. It is chemically recycled with urea to produce new regenerated cellulose carbamate fibre. A range of fabrics are possible, from 50-100% Infinna, including denim, jersey, terry and woven fabric. And Sateri whose operations are based in China produce Finex from up to 50% recycled material alongside their regular viscose and lyocell production. Their regenerated cellulose fibres are certified by TUV Austria to be biodegradable in soil, water and marine environments, as well as home compostable. Ioncell, a collaboration between Aalto University and the University of Helsinki, produces cellulose fibre in a closed loop process. As well as working with virgin materials, they are able to recycle waste material, including paper and fibre. And Södra produce their regenerated cellulose fibre using 20% recycled textile and 80% renewable wood. The textile waste comes from post consumer recycled fabrics and includes polycotton blends, which are chemically recycled to liberate the cellulose from the polyester. The polyester is incinerated and the energy recovered goes into the production of OnceMore.
Blocktexx have developed a chemical recycling technology capable of handling difficult to recycle fabrics made up of cotton and polyester, such as the popular polycotton. Everyday items, such as sheets and clothing, are chemically separated, using a process they call SOFT (separation of fibre technology), to produce Polytexx recycled polyester (rPET) and Celltexx microcrystalline cellulose. The rPET is suitable for new textiles, as well as moulded and extruded products.
Chemical recycling into virgin fibre
Waste textile, as well as products and packaging made from the same materials, is chemically recycled to produce the raw materials needed to make new fibre without any loss of quality. Unlike mechanical recycling, this technique can cope with complex mixed waste streams including films and composites that are not suitable for other recycling methods. While it is theoretically possible with many plastics, it is not yet practical, economical or environmentally beneficial to do so in many cases. The two principal types of plastic that are suitable for commercial chemical recycling are nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyester. For example, Econyl is a regenerated polyamide (PA), nylon, coming entirely from waste that has been chemically recycled. Its carbon footprint (kgCO2) is around 75% lower than regular nylon, because the chemical processes used in recycling produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than virgin material production. Cycora is a recycled polyester (rPET) produced by Ambercycle using a chemical process to produce fibre and pellets with the same quality as the original. Syre, backed by H&M, produce a recycled polyester fibre made with post-consumer and industrial waste. They claim that the material performs as well as virgin, but with 85% lower carbon footprint.
With so much potential, there are many new companies developing new technologies in this space. Qingdao Amino Materials Technology in China developed Relastane (Re:elastane) polyester recycling system, which is able to separate polyester fibres from cotton, nylon, spandex and other complex blends. The polyester is depolymerised into monomers that can be rebuilt into polyester without any loss of quality. DePoly are developing a chemical recycling process that can handle all types of polyester waste, including multilayer films, blends and coloured items, without the need for sorting and washing. They are depolymerised to make PTA and MEG, the building blocks for new polyester fibre and moulded polyester products. Premirr Plastics are developing a chemical recycling process for polyester, targeting rigid waste (bottles, trays etc), films and fibres.
Protein Evolution have taken a slightly different approach with their chemically recycled polyester (rPET) fibre, Biopure. Produced from rigid plastic waste and industrial textile strapping, Protein Evolution use AI-designed enzymes to break down polyester waste into the raw materials of new polyester that are indistinguishable to the petroleum-derived raw materials used in polyester manufacturing. Described as bio-recycling, the process is capable of handling a variety of waste streams, from plastic bottles and clam-shells, to industrial textiles and garments.
Circ in US have developed a unique hydrothermal process capable of separating and recycling materials from blends of polyester and cotton, such as polycotton. This groundbreaking development enables the production of new fibres and products without any loss of quality, identical to the original fibres without any additional manufacturing restrictions. Their products include Circ Lyocell regenerated cellulose fibre and Circ Polyester recycled fibre. They provide a drop-in replacement for virgin fibre.