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| Issue date:26/05/2009 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - May 2009 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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| Collected Patagonia garments are sorted and processed into recycled poly pellets. |
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Textile recycling refers to the reusing or reprocessing post-consumer clothing, pre-consumer fibrous materials from the manufacturing process, and other materials, e.g. used PET bottles.
Clothing and fabric generally consists of composites of biodegradable natural fibers and un-biodegraded synthetic plastics. Methods of recycling depend on what kinds of fabrics, blends or materials involved.
In the UK alone, about two million tones (or ₤23 billion) of clothing are purchased per annum, with the fast/discount fashion sector (characterized by low-cost, short lifetime garments) making up one-fifth of the UK market, according to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). In a report published this February, DEFRA mentioned that about 1.5-2 million tones of clothing are disposed each year in the UK, with 16% recovered and the remainder (over 1.2 million tonnes) destined for landfill.
Recycling offers both environmental and economic benefits as it lowers the need for landfill space, the UK Waste Watch says. In particular, textiles present problems in landfill, as synthetic products do not decompose, while woollen garments produce global-warming contributor methane when decomposing. Subsequently, recycling helps reduce the use of virgin resources, pollution (e.g. effluent) and energy consumption.
Recycling represents a key component in the realm of sustainability, and it is relatively underdeveloped. Those appealed by the idea of making recycled/recyclable fabrics, however, have found their way.
Taiwan and Japan developing recycled fabrics
Taiwanese manufacturers have worked on recycled fabrics development for about a decade. Its green fabric development will be under the spotlight at the Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show (TITAS 2009) in Taipei on October 15-17 this year.
The Bluesign-approved Ever Recycle of Everest Textile is produced from 100% recycled polyester, such as used polyester bottles and old clothes / fabrics. In addition to being the same as fabrics made from virgin polyester, the product is said to feature added functions for breathability, quick dry and water repellence.
Libolon, a brand jointly developed by Li Peng and Lea Lea, includes two series of eco product into the product family, namely RePET and Ecoya. RePET is a polyester yarn series made from recycled PET bottles, while Ecoya is a colored yarn series made by injecting various specific pigments into the polymer during the spinning process.
Recycled PET fabrics are also being developed and promoted by humanitarian groups in Taiwan, such as Tzu Chi recycled PET fabrics. Tzu Chi brand is owned by the Tzu Chi International Humanitarian Aid Association (TIHAA).
Additionally, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation has developed the technology of producing high quality polyester fiber, EcoGreen, through the recycled PET bottles.
The Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) estimated that fabric made from recycled PET bottles is priced at more than NT$120 (US$3.87) per kilogram. The TTRI also observed that recycled polyester fabrics are gaining popularity among international retailers and apparel brands.
Another example is set by Teijin Group based in Japan.
Teijin Group launched this March the Ecopet yarn made from recycled PET drink bottles and a resulting Eco-a-wear fabric.
Teijin, through Eco-a-wear, is introducing the first ecologically friendly polyester and wool blend fabric in the world, the company said. Made from recycled plastic bottles and blended with wool, the fabric is elegant, soft to the touch and wrinkle resistant. Other Eco-a-wear products include blends with viscose and cotton or 100% fully recycled polyester.
It took Teijin two years to perfect Eco-a-wear before it is brought to market, showing the commitment of the company in environmental protection. "Interest in sustainability has grown with the consumer more aware about waste output," said Moses Cohen, Business Development and Project Manager at N.I. Teijin Shoji (USA) Inc.
Patagonia targets to recycle all apparel by 2010
US-based Patagonia has stepped further and built a recycling system of polyester fabrics to confine the environmental impact of fabric making.
In its recent report of "Closing the Loop - A Report on Patagonia's Common Threads Garment Recycling Program" publicized this March, Patagonia shared experiences accumulated since the launch of the Common Threads program in fall 2005.
This program, as part of the company's efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, invites customers to return used-up clothing and delivers the retired garments to a fiber manufacturer that uses those items to make new products. Meanwhile, not yet fully worn-out garment should be donated, rather than being recycled.
Collected Patagonia garments (above) are sorted and processed into recycled poly pellets |
Patagonia started using recycled fibers in 1993, when Synchilla fleece made from recycled polyester was introduced. The company currently uses recycled polyester in many applications. It also includes recycled nylon and recycled wool in its product line.
The Common Threads program launched for the first time in 2005 a recyclable Capilene garment with the help of Teijin Inc from Japan, which developed Eco-Circle, the closed-loop, garment-to-garment recycling process for the Capilene underwear.
Patagonia set up a reverse-distribution system to collect retired garments from customers and send them to Teijin for recycling.
To confirm that recycling would cause less environmental harm than transporting used-up garments across the Pacific, Patagonia conducted an analysis of the Common Threads process to calculate the energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for turning garments into recycled polyester versus using petroleum-derived feedstock to make virgin polyester.
It found that making DMT (dimethyl terephthalate, the precursor material to polyester in Teijin's process) from Patagonia Capilene uses 76% less energy and emits 42% less CO2 than making it from petroleum. The CO2 savings jumps to 77% if the garment is incinerated rather than recycled. This confirmed that closed-loop recycling considerably reduces environmental harm.
In spring of 2007, Patagonia expanded the Common Threads Recycling Program to accept 100%-cotton T-shirts, Patagonia fleece, as well as Polartec fleece from any brand.
In 2008, the company began labeling clothes that are recyclable through Common Threads with instructions for return at the end of useful product life, including Capilene, fleece, T-shirts, as well as some board shorts and polyester jackets. The retailer also launched the first recyclable nylon waterproof/breathable shell, which was developed with Toray of Japan.
Patagonia explained that the garment recycling processes at Teijin and Toray entail chemical recycling, in which materials are chemically dissolved to their precursor chemicals. The advantage of chemical recycling is that color and small impurities can be removed and the resulting recycled fiber is almost the same as virgin fiber.
Each season the company tracks the number of recyclable styles as a percentage of all Patagonia products. Each style is treated equally. With different product lines in the fall and spring seasons, they are compared separately. In fall 2008, 45% of Patagonia's product line was recyclable. For Fall 2009, it will be 65%. In spring 2008, 28% of its products were recyclable; for spring 2009 it has increased to 38%, according to Patagonia.
The company reported that it is working to meet the 2010 goal: to make all Patagonia products recyclable through the Common Threads Garment Recycling Program.
"It is not yet possible to source all of our synthetic fiber as recycled because of special yarn sizes and characteristics that we require for some applications... It is unlikely we will make all products recyclable by 2010, but possibly all apparel. We will continue to strive for 100% recyclability even after 2010," said Todd Copeland who handles Common Threads Material Development & Environmental Assessment of Raw Materials.
Some challenging clothing items yet to be recyclable are, for instance, down-filled garments, shells with polyurethane barriers, and fabrics with high spandex content. More hurdles include how to sort and remove unrecycled items (e.g. trims) from recyclable items (e.g. down insulation), and cost consideration, Patagonia added.
So far, the company has recycled more than 6,000 kg of garments, and collected much more since 2005.
It is committed to taking end-of-life responsibility for its products, so it may consider mechanically recycling or downcycling products for which chemical recycling capability does not exist.
"Using recycled fibers is often more expensive, and Patagonia is willing to invest a reasonable amount for developing more environmentally-friendly products. Patagonia continually strives to reduce the impact of our products and our customers expect this type of responsible behaviour," said Mr Copeland.
Benchmarking recycled fabrics
Besides, Control Union Certifications took the lead to introduce Global Recycle Standard in November 2008.
The standard specifies in accordance with three major principles:
Traceability: transport, control of incoming products, administration (e.g. documentation), quality control;
Environment management; and
Social responsibility (workers’ health and safety, rights, and training).
Finished or half-finished products containing recycled raw material can label products as "Global Recycle Standard" product, which is categorized based on the amount of pre- and/or post-consumer recycled raw material the product contains. This amount is expressed in a percentage with a minimum of 5%, according to Control Union Certifications.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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