The global fashion industry faces a huge waste problem. Although nowadays recycling may seem totally normal to us, textile recycling often goes unnoticed, and is not something we really take into account. And no, donating or selling clothes that you no longer use is not the same as recycling them, and therefore, although the intention is good and serves to extend the life cycle of the garments, in the long run it does not help to solve the real problem.
Stepping in to offer a solution, Refashion is a circular organisation in the textile sector of clothing, household linen and footwear, which constantly looks for solutions to facilitate and accelerate the transformation towards the circular economy.
The Quality of Second-Hand Clothing is Deteriorating
As a result of the evolution of fast fashion and second hand, the quality of clothing and footwear materials is constantly deteriorating, making it difficult to recycle them. Faced with this reality, Refashion is looking for new outlets for these non-reusable textiles and solutions to facilitate their recycling, which is still limited in Europe. To do this, it is necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of the materials that make up these articles.
In order to find out, Refashion commissioned a special study by the company Terra. Approximately 720,000 items from six partner sorting centres were analysed in order to assess the differences in the composition of the items according to the different collection from public and private containers, associations, waste disposal centres, and clothing stores. The study also analysed the material composition of more than 74,000 non-reused textile articles.
It shows that articles made of one pure material, 100% cotton, 100% polyester, etc. represent 55 per cent of these articles and blends of two materials 35 per cent. Material blends are considered to be disruptive elements, as they are more complex to recycle.
Despite its many advantages, the exclusively manual sorting of materials by hand and reading labelsis not sufficient to meet ambitious recycling targets on an industrial scale. In other European countries, there are other solutions, more advanced technologies such as automated textile sorting lines or spectrometers.
At the forefront of these advanced techniques is near infrared spectrometry, which Refashion considers the most mature for recognising non-reusable used textiles. Also known as near infrared spectroscopy, this is a method of measuring muscle oxygenation through the scattering and absorption of light in the fabric. This tool, still in the development phase three years ago, is increasingly in demand in Europe.
Solutions to Enable an Efficient Recycling Industry
This study has enabled Refashion to produce nine product sheets detailing the composition of materials, the presence of disruptors and multilayer articles by major product families. Product sheets presenting the main material compositions, the main colours, the presence of disruptors and multilayer articles were also produced.
These different sheets allow for better targeting the recycling of articles and offer the possibility of setting up sorting experiments for the regeneration of non-reusable textiles and the transformation of textile waste into new resources. Refashion has commissioned a second study to map automated sorting and declassification technologies across Europe.
Fashion Brands that Use Recycled Textiles
Ecoalf
Ecoalf is a leading example of a brand that manufactures garments with recycled materials, is committed to sustainability, timeless designs as a sign of durability and responsibility. Ecoalf has a firm stance against overproduction for stock, sit generates waste and the planet's natural resources are not infinite.
This brand seeks to promote a redefinition of the seasonal calendar, to achieve this it coordinates with shop owners, agents, brands, fairs and agencies. Its aim is to make the seasons coincide with the current weather, i.e. to sell the summer collection without discount in summer and the winter collection in winter.
Patagonia
Patagonia is one of the most relevant sustainable sportswear brands in the market, distinguished by its disposable fashion that, since 1994, makes use of reusable plastic in the garments it manufactures, as at that time it launched a fleece jacket made from recycled plastic bottles. Fast forward to today, the company makes use of other materials, such as recycled polyester, to include it in its garment manufacturing.
G-Star Raw
Since 2018, G-Star Raw has held the prestigious Cradle to Cradle certification for a growing number of fabrics and products, which, among other things, has revolutionized the indigo dyeing process, reducing chemical use by 70%. It’s also working to create repair and recycling programmes, recognising that designing for durability and cyclability is useless without systems in place to ensure its products stay in use and stay in the loop.
This Dutch brand also teamed up with American musician Pharrel Williams to launch a collection of clothing made from plastic recovered from marine and coastal areas.