French National Institute Of Circular Economy: Textile Recycling Begins At The Design End.

The report of the The French National Institute for the Circular Economy/INEC released recently showed that

There are technical constraints on the recycling of products.

INEC assessed the current economic cycle of the textile and garment industry, pointed out the limitations of textile recycling, and emphasized the need to predict the availability of recycled materials from the initial design stage.

The report shows that according to the category:

The recycling technology has been quite mature, but the quality of regenerated fiber is not as good as that of raw fiber, resulting in the utilization rate of regenerated fiber of new garments can only reach 20%.

Wool can be reused many times.

Polyester polymers can be reconverted into new fibers.

The situation of polyester fiber is very special. After recycling, it is mainly insulation material, and the main component of recycled polyester fiber clothing is plastic bottle.

As a whole, the biggest challenge in textile and clothing industry is the recycling and reuse of blended fabric. The difficulty of recycling is to separate a variety of different fibers.

Blended fabrics are mostly used for fast fashion brands.

INEC pointed out that the use of sustainable development fabrics at the beginning is a good choice, such as the use of biological cotton, Searl fiber (Eucalyptus cellulose), flax and other more environment-friendly fibers, instead of ordinary cotton, rayon and other fibers.

On the other hand, the textile and garment industry should adopt a completely new method from the source of production.

"We must invest heavily in R & D and recycling technology so that recycled materials can have the same value as new materials.

The choice of design can greatly reduce the environmental impact of clothing, while improving circulation. "

At present, every production of a garment will leave 20 to 30% of leftover material, which can be optimized through material selection.

In the denim industry, for example, only 30% of a pair of jeans can be recycled by means of stitching and rivet design elements.

If only a single fabric is used, the whole recovery process can be simpler.

In addition, environmental destruction of dyes should not be neglected.

With the same concept of "Greenpeace" in the international environmental protection organization, INEC believes that reducing the use of toxic chemicals is a prerequisite for the realization of circular economy in the textile and garment industry.

In the process of recycling textile and garment industry, producers are not the only participants, consumers must contribute.

Since 2000, the number of clothing purchased by consumers has increased significantly, and the service life of clothing has also been shrinking.

In 2015, there were 6 million 400 thousand tons of clothing in the European market.

Every year, the French market adds 9.5 kilograms per person.

Home textiles and footwear products.

In 2017, France's potential recycling capacity was 36% of market circulation, that is to say, nearly 80% of Europe's fabrics would not be recycled.

In addition to appealing to consumers' rational consumption, INEC believes that alternative services such as customized services, clothing production and upgrading can also be considered.

"These downstream marketing strategies can connect terminal customers to participate in designing products that meet their personal preferences and satisfy their personal needs, and also enhance brand loyalty. On the other hand, it also improves the life cycle of clothing."

(author: Jiang Jingjin)