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Textiles for Circular Fashion: The Logic behind Recycling Options

Author

Listed:
  • Paulien Harmsen

    (Wageningen Food and Biobased Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands)

  • Michiel Scheffer

    (Wageningen Food and Biobased Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands)

  • Harriette Bos

    (Wageningen Food and Biobased Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

For the textile industry to become sustainable, knowledge of the origin and production of resources is an important theme. It is expected that recycled feedstock will form a significant part of future resources to be used. Textile recycling (especially post-consumer waste) is still in its infancy and will be a major challenge in the coming years. Three fundamental problems hamper a better understanding of the developments on textile recycling: the current classification of textile fibres (natural or manufactured) does not support textile recycling, there is no standard definition of textile recycling technologies, and there is a lack of clear communication about the technological progress (by industry and brands) and benefits of textile recycling from a consumer perspective. This may hamper the much-needed further development of textile recycling. This paper presents a new fibre classification based on chemical groups and bonds that form the backbone of the polymers of which the fibres are made and that impart characteristic properties to the fibres. In addition, a new classification of textile recycling was designed based on the polymer structure of the fibres. These methods make it possible to unravel the logic and preferred recycling routes for different fibres, thereby facilitating communication on recycling. We concluded that there are good recycling options for mono-material streams within the cellulose, polyamide and polyester groups. For blended textiles, the perspective is promising for fibre blends within a single polymer group, while combinations of different polymers may pose problems in recycling.

Suggested Citation

  • Paulien Harmsen & Michiel Scheffer & Harriette Bos, 2021. "Textiles for Circular Fashion: The Logic behind Recycling Options," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:17:p:9714-:d:625082
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Melissa Monika Wagner & Tincuta Heinzel, 2020. "Human Perceptions of Recycled Textiles and Circular Fashion: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-28, December.
    2. Katarina Lindström & Therese Sjöblom & Anders Persson & Nawar Kadi, 2020. "Improving Mechanical Textile Recycling by Lubricant Pre-Treatment to Mitigate Length Loss of Fibers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-13, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Neringa Vilkaite-Vaitone & Laima Jeseviciute-Ufartiene, 2021. "Predicting Textile Recycling through the Lens of the Theory of Planned Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Giuseppe Bonifazi & Riccardo Gasbarrone & Roberta Palmieri & Silvia Serranti, 2022. "End-of-Life Textile Recognition in a Circular Economy Perspective: A Methodological Approach Based on Near Infrared Spectroscopy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Anabela Salgueiro-Oliveira & Anderson da Silva Rêgo & Paulo Santos-Costa & Rafael A. Bernardes & Luísa Filipe & Liliana B. Sousa & Rochelne Barboza & Miguel Carvalho & Maria Bouçanova & Maria Clara Fe, 2023. "Design of Innovative Clothing for Pressure Injury Prevention: End-User Evaluation in a Mixed-Methods Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(18), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Hyewon Lee, 2023. "The Dual Strategy for Textile and Fashion Production Using Clothing Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-20, July.
    5. Joséphine Riemens & Andrée-Anne Lemieux & Samir Lamouri & Léonore Garnier, 2021. "A Delphi-Régnier Study Addressing the Challenges of Textile Recycling in Europe for the Fashion and Apparel Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-30, October.
    6. Maria Elena Aramendia-Muneta & Andrea Ollo-López & Katrin Simón-Elorz, 2022. "Circular Fashion: Cluster Analysis to Define Advertising Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Abdulkadir A. Araye & Mohd Suffian Yusoff & Nik Azimatolakma Awang & Teh Sabariah Binti Abd Manan, 2023. "Evaluation of the Methane (CH 4 ) Generation Rate Constant ( k Value) of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Mogadishu City, Somalia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Hyewon Lee, 2023. "A Study on the Production Methods of Upcycling Tweed Fabric Using Clothing Waste Based on Chanel’s Tweed Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, February.

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