Which Textile Recycling Method Leads to the Most Quality Loss?
We’re frequently asked which textile recycling method results in the poorest quality recycled textiles. This post aims to shed some light on this important question.
First, it’s crucial to understand what we mean by “quality” in the context of recycled textiles. Essentially, quality refers to two key factors: the level of impurities present and the performance of the recycled fibre.
Understanding Quality in Recycled Textiles:
- Impurities: These can include general dirt and soiling, contamination with other materials (e.g., polyester in a batch intended for cotton recycling), or even the presence of dyes or finishes. For a recycler focused on recovering cotton, any presence of polyester will be considered an impurity.
- Performance: This refers to the characteristics of the recycled fibre itself. A key factor is fibre length. Shorter fibres have limited applications. For example, they might be suitable for thicker yarns used in carpets or for products where pilling (bobbling) isn’t a major concern, but less suitable for fine fabrics. Other performance factors include strength, elasticity, and dye uptake.
More sophisticated recycling technologies can effectively remove impurities and maintain or even enhance fibre performance.
The Three Main Textile Recycling Methods:
Textile recycling generally falls into three categories: mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
- Mechanical Recycling:
- Process: This is the oldest method, with a history dating back over 200 years (think of the wool recycling traditions in Prato, Italy). It’s a relatively simple process that essentially breaks down textiles into shorter fibres without fundamentally altering their chemical structure. “What goes in, comes out” is a good summary of this process.
- Quality Impact: Mechanical recycling struggles to remove fibre impurities. Therefore, recyclers often prefer post-industrial textile waste or carefully sorted pre-consumer or post-consumer clothing. A significant drawback is that the resulting fibres are often shorter, limiting their applications. However, some specialised recyclers are developing techniques to gently untwist yarns, minimising fibre length reduction and performance loss.
- Pros: Generally less energy and water-intensive than other methods.
- Cons: Limited ability to remove impurities and often results in shorter fibres.
- Chemical Recycling:
- Process: This method involves dissolving textiles in proprietary chemicals to break down the fibres into their basic building blocks, which can then be used to create new fibres.
- Quality Impact: Chemical recycling can be very effective at removing impurities, potentially yielding recycled fibres with up to 100% purity. However, there are a couple of important considerations:
- When cotton is chemically recycled, the resulting fibre is often Cellulose Carbamate (CCA), which has properties similar to viscose rather than cotton. This means the recycled material, while pure, may not be identical to the original fibre.
- While chemical recycling theoretically allows for the recovery of fibres without quality loss, high contamination with undesired fibres can lead to significant quantity loss. For example, if a recycler specializes in polyester and the input material is a 50/50 poly-cotton blend, they might lose 50% of the material (the cotton) during processing.
- Pros: Can remove impurities effectively and create “virgin quality” fibres.
- Cons: Can be energy and water-intensive, may alter the nature of the fibre (e.g., cotton to CCA), and can result in significant material loss due to contamination.
- Enzymatic Recycling:
- Process: This method uses proprietary enzymes to break down textile fibres into their component molecules. It often operates under milder conditions (lower temperatures and pressures) than chemical recycling. Enzymes are highly specific, targeting particular types of fibres.
- Quality Impact: Enzyme-based recycling can handle fibre impurities and separate different types of fibres. This means it can be effective at processing blended fabrics, but it also means that different enzymes might be needed for different materials. This specificity is both a strength and a potential limitation.
- Pros: Can separate blended fabrics and potentially operate under milder conditions.
- Cons: Requires specific enzymes for different materials, and the technology is still under development.
Choosing the Right Method:
The “best” recycling method depends entirely on the desired end product. For example, mechanical recycling might be perfectly suitable for producing yarns for carpets, while chemical or enzymatic recycling might be preferred for creating yarns for high-quality apparel. Each method has its own set of trade-offs in terms of quality, cost, environmental impact, and suitability for different materials.
Find the Right Recycling Partner at Eslando:
At Eslando’s marketplace, you can connect with each of these different types of recyclers. You can source the right type of textiles for your specific process. Join now and discover the perfect recycling solution for your needs!