PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Nowadays, the textile industry follows mostly a linear path. The make-use-dispose model leads to the under-utilisation of clothing and lack of recycling. Less than 0.1% of textile collected from fashion is recycled into yarn and new textiles, and only 1% of the recycled fibres are circulated in closed loops, as a lot of recycled fibres come from other sources of used plastic (such as PET bottles).
Within the textile industry, the technical textile sector is regarded as a top value-added growth industry, in which Europe has a strong market position and prominent know-how potential. Technical textiles are crucial to keeping workers safe in high-risk industries, such as foundries, petrochemical, electricity generation and welding. Highly protective garments prevent thermal, electric or chemical burns and injuries, and must therefore meet stringent technical criteria. In the EU-27, the technical textile industry stands for around 30% of the total turnover in textiles, and accounts for a growing share of 27% of the total textile production.
During the manufacturing of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) fabrics, different material wastes, made of high-performance technical materials, are generated.
Although the fibre-to-fibre recycling model is not yet widely implemented, the existing standard processes of mechanical recycling could already manufacture fabrics with up to 30% of recycled material. Mechanical recycling avoids the use of possible harmful substances and keeps chemicals to a minimum. The current challenges of the mechanical recycling technology in the advanced materials sector are the fibre blends, the removal or separation of membranes, multilayer constructions or functional coatings. Therefore, the technology needs specific adjustments for the technical textile sector.
The innovative character of the LIFE-CIRTECHTEX project is related to the demanding standards for technical fabrics, the need to recycle pre-consumption (raw and dyed) and post-consumption material in the same process, and the recycling of various fibres from different families, which are combined.
OBJECTIVES
The project’s general objective is to uptake the circular economy approach in the technical textiles sector, reducing the generation of textile wastes and upcycling these wastes into high-grade Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) fabrics. The scope of the project covers the generation of technical textile waste across the value chain including material suppliers, fabric manufacturers, customers and end-users.
The consortium will be pioneering a holistic approach applying circular economy methodology that will provide assurance of an upcycling process that meets the stringent standards applicable to technical textiles, and that covers mixed fabrics and both pre-consumption and post-consumption yarns and garments.
The specific project objectives include, among others:
- To set up a system of end-user recovery concerning the end of life of the PPEs.
- To prototype new products using discarded material coming from different sources: raw material, finished fabric and post-consumer waste.
- To reduce the use of raw materials in the production process, making it more resource-efficient.
- To obtain the Global Recycled Standard certification and update the OEKO-TEX certification.
RESULTS
Expected results:
By the end of the project, 63 tonnes of textile waste will have been recovered, including a minimum of 20% of waste in at least 30% of the production. Up to 900 kg of yarn and 6,370 metres of fabric will be manufactured following this approach, with a reduction of GHG emissions of 242.5 tonnes CO2 equivalent.
Three years after the end of the project, 321 tonnes/year (t/y) will be recovered, including a minimum of 20% of waste in at least 80% of the production. Up to 2,170 kg/y of yarn and 32,500 metres/y of fabric will be manufactured following this approach, with a reduction of GHG emissions by 1,224 tonnes CO2eq/y.
