Specialty Fabrics Review August 2024 - 70

materials will be sorted for where they
fit into the textile hierarchy: Can it be
reused? Does it need to be repaired,
or is it good for recycling? Then you'll
need to sort it for fiber type, color, fabric
and construction so you can determine
what recycling system it goes into. "
Textiles also need to have trims
removed because zippers, buttons,
thread and other materials can't be
put into a recycling system.
IMPROVING SORTING
WITH TECHNOLOGY
Sorting processes today would benefit
from new technologies, says Georgia
Parker, innovation director for
Amsterdam-based Fashion for Good,
a global initiative to inspire change
and to drive a collective effort to make
fashion a force for good. In May the
organization released its Sorting for
Circularity USA report exploring
opportunities in the U.S. to valorize
unwanted textiles through improved
collection programs, noting " fiberto-fiber
recycling has the potential to
generate $1.5 billion in revenue. "
" Currently, sorting is done manually,
TOP: Extrusion of rPET. Image: Accelerating
Circularity/Unifi Inc.
MIDDLE: Filament from 100% PET from
textile feedstock from chemical recycling
startup gr3n. The recycler opened a
demonstration-scale plant in Italy in
March and will build a full plant in Spain,
planned to be operational in 2027 and
able to produce 40,000 metric tons (44,092
U.S. tons) of virgin-like PET. Image:
Accelerating Circularity
BOTTOM: The nonprofit Accelerating
Circularity works on scaling textile
recycling through research and trials. Its
100% cotton tees were made from 26/1 yarn
by Giotex from a combination of recycled
postconsumer textiles, postindustrial
textiles from Bank and Vogue and virgin
cotton. Image: Accelerating Circularity
70 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / August 2024
and most textiles are blends, which
complicates sorting, " Parker says. She
sees hope for improved efficiency
through automated sorting, which
some of Fashion for Good's collaborator
companies are doing. " Automated
sorting technologies such as Matoha,
Refiberd and Picvisa will help improve
sorting capabilities, " she says.
Matoha's patent-pending FabriTell
devices combine near infrared
spectroscopy and cloud-based
machine-learning algorithms to provide
affordable material identification.
Refiberd allows for advanced material
detection via artificial intelligence-based
hyperspectral imaging. Picvisa employs
artificial intelligence and deep-learning
algorithms to help robots make and
implement decisions in automated
sorting processes.
Other entities also need to have skin
in the game, according to Parker, who
says improving sorting capabilities
" requires investments from sorting
facilities. " In addition to mechanical
recycling, Parker sees promise in
chemical processing, which breaks
down textile waste to a molecular level.
Getting needed feedstock is another
issue facing recyclers. " A big focus for
some chemical recycling companies is
to get long-term feedstock partnerships
with manufacturers or sorters for
postconsumer [waste] to secure a
consistent supply, " Parker says.
Magruder praises the EU for its
support of textile recycling. " The
European government has provided a
lot of support for trials and innovation
for local businesses, " she says.
" Another important aspect for
recycling companies will be the
geographical location of their plants, "
Parker notes. " It will likely be that
they set up shop in a country that also
facilitates their access to postindustrial
or postconsumer textile feedback. "
Parker says chemical recycling is
thought to increase the purity of the
output products in comparison to
mechanical recycling. She sees chemical
recycling evolving and anticipates it
will make recycling textiles easier.
" Today, there are over two dozen
companies seriously engaged in
advanced developments of textile-totextile
recycling, such as Syre, Circ,
BlockTexx®, Ambercycle, IFC [Infinited
Fiber Company], Renewcell-
which are all part of our innovator
network, " Parker says. " Some combine
separation techniques to handle
blended feedstock; others focus on
pre-consumer waste, which can be
controlled for multi-fabric impurities
and are a large waste category. "
Specialty Fabrics Review August 2024

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