Development of 100% recycled cotton yarn and fabrics
With the collaboration of the Agència de Residus de Catalunya, we have carried out a project for the creation and development of 100% recycled cotton yarn for the circular production of new fabrics.
In order to develop this project, we have carried out several studies to analyze the quality of the optimal cotton fiber to prepare the yarn, to carry out the creation of 100% recycled cotton yarn for the textile-fashion sector and to design 100% recycled cotton fabrics for its commercialization.
PROJECT DEFINITION
Due to the global impact of the health emergency, the costs associated with the purchase of raw materials in the main producing markets have risen significantly, especially with regard to logistical aspects such as transport. This problem is added to the difficulties in the supply of organic cotton by the main countries involved such as China and India.
In this context, we have proposed developing our own recycling process in order to obtain a recycled cotton fiber of optimal quality to spin and produce 100% recycled fabrics.
In this way, we are firmly committed to the eco-design of our products, closing the circle with the reintroduction of the waste generated in our own production chain and third parties textiles.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
The textile industry and the current consumption habits that support it, have become one of the most serious global environmental problems today given the high environmental cost of its production. In this sense, the sector accumulates 10% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases for a production where 73% of textile resources end up being incinerated or deposited in landfills and 12% are recovered in low-value applications .
In this context, this project was born as a response to the need to address the development of new materials and manufacturing processes that allow the utilization of textile resources, extending their useful life cycle and valorizing waste with applications of high value within the textile-fashion sector.
GOALS AND APPLICATIONS
The aim of the study is to work on the recovery and recycling to obtain a cotton fiber of optimal quality and resistance to be used mainly by the fashion textile sector.
The cotton fiber comes on the one hand from the recycling process of pre-consumer industrial waste generated in Hallotex's production processes, and on the other hand it comes from post-consumer waste.
The 100% recycled yarn is replicable in many other sectors, especially in those that require textiles with specific properties for their use. For example, it can be replicated in sectors such as: home textiles, automotive textiles, work clothes, the healthcare sector, the hotel sector and other sectors that can benefit from a functional model of the recycling process.
CIRCULARITY
The pre-consumer industrial waste is generated during the cutting process, creating scraps of fabric that will later be used in the recycling process. Thanks to the exhaustive sorting and recycling system created by TheLoop, we avoid mixing fabrics with different compositions, colors or structures.
Under the objective of reaching a phase of zero waste, the other source of supply is the post-consumer. We recover obsolete cotton pieces or returns from our customers, we handle them by removing labels, fittings, prints, etc. Then we prepare it for recycling.
CERTIFICACIONS
In order to meet the highest quality standards for all the fabrics developed with the 100% recycled yarn, we have successfully passed all the necessary certifications to be able to proceed with the commercialization.
It is a holistic certification for products with recycled content. The desired effect of the GRS is to provide brands with a tool for more accurate labeling, to encourage innovation in the use of reclaimed materials, to establish more transparency in the supply chain, and to provide better information to consumers.
PARTNERS
This project has had the support of the Agència de Residus de Catalunya together with our industrial partners who have helped in the feasibility of the creation and development of the new 100% recycled cotton yarn and fabrics.
