Challenges in the Way for Circular Economyin Textiles

Dr. Ahmet C. Turan Setas Kimya

2019

Is Current Textile Economy Sustainable?

• According to ‘The Pulse of the Industry Report’ (Global Fashion Agenda, 2017)

The fashion industry is responsible for the emission of 1,715 million tons of CO2 in 2015, or about 4.3% of global carbon emissions of 39.9 billion tons

• Agriculture (19%)• Fuel and power for residential buildings (10.2%)• Road transport (10.5%)• Tourism (8%)• Oil and gas production (6.4%)• Fuel and power for commercial buildings (6.3%)• Livestock and manure (5.4%)• Agricultural soils (5.2%)• Cement production (5.0%)• Fashion Industry (% 4,8)

Is Current Textile Economy Sustainable?

According to ‘The Pulse of the Industry Report (Global Fashion Agenda, 2017 )

• The global fashion industry consumed 79 billion cubic meters of water that represents 0.87% of the world’s 9,087 billion cubic meters of water used per year.

• 70 % of global water usage goes toward agriculture. Within agriculture water consumption, Cotton consumption is responsible for as much as 2.6% of global water use (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2008).

• 12 % goes toward household and municipal use.

World Fiber Production in Million Tons ( Source PCI Fibers, 2017)

• Polyester Fibers is % about 80 in MMF in 2017

• Polyester Fibers are % 58 in total fiber production in 2017. 52 M t polyester fiber is produced in 2017.

• About % 8 of produced polyester fibersare based on RPET from bottle flakes(JCFA, 2008; Thiele, 2009).

• % 60 of all fibers are used in clothing(Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future)

What is Circular Economy

Legal Status

• In 2015, the European Commission adopted an ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan, which includes measures that will help stimulate Europe's transition towards a circular economy, boost global competitiveness, foster sustainable economic growth and generate new jobs.

• In January 2018, the EU adopted the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy to help “transform the way plastic products are designed, used, produced, and recycled.”

all plastic packaging on the EU market will be recyclable by 2030, the consumption of single-use plastics will be reduced and the intentional use of microplastics will be restricted.

• In March 2019, European Parliament adopted new rules on single–use plastics to reduce marine litter

A 90% separate collection target for plastic bottles by 2029 (77% by 2025) To incorporate 25% of recycled plastic in PET bottles as from 202530% in all plastic bottles as from 2030

Legal Status For Textiles

The European Technology Platform for the future of Textiles and Clothing identified four areas of research in textiles;

I. Smart, high-performance materials

II. Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains and business models

III. Circular economy and resource efficiency

IV. High-value added solutions for attractive growth markets

Current Status for Recycling

• About % 8 of produced polyester fibersare based on RPET from bottle flakes(JCFA, 2008; Thiele, 2009).

• However, the raw material is PET flakefrom bottles. Bottle flakes will be used in PET bottles to be circular. Each industryshould handle its own waste to be circular.

Challanges of Recycling in Textiles

Using Bottles As a RM Source to Produce RecycledFiber

• Source is mostly PET bottles. There may be traces of PVC or PE. However, it is not verycomplicated to seperate those impurities.

• PET bottles are mostly colorless and transparent

• No chemicals inside..

Using Textile As a RM Source to Produce RecycledFiber

• Source is mostly garments

• Garments are mostly blends such as cotton/polyester

• Textiles are colorfull

• With Zippers, buttons, chemicals such as softeners, water repellents, flame retardants…

• The recycling of fibers today are mainly down-cycling. Post-consumer textiles are made into cleaning wipes or shredded and used as padding in for example car seats.

How to Manage Recycling of Polyesters

Designers should consider ‘Recyclability ‘ of the garment from beginning. Currently, just the final comfort andeasthetics are considered in textiles.

• Avoid using harmfull substances in textile processs• Avoid using chemicals which may effect upcycling stream• Mix different fibers as low as possible. Therefore, Fiber producers should develop new fibers to avoid the

need of mixing different fibers

• Develop New Upcycling Technologies

- Collecting- Sorting- Chemical Recycling

Current Recycling Technologies of Recycling of PET

Currently Three Technologies Avaialble:

1. Physical RecyclingThe process use bottles as a source. Bottles are crushed , cleaned physically and used to produce staple fiber. It is used mostly in colored fiber production for cheaper applications.

2. Semi Physical RecyclingCleaned bottle flakes are reextruderd and filtered and regranulated. These source is used in filamentapplicaitons for higher quality requirements.

3. Chemical RecyclingCurrently, the system is also not producing for high requirements since current chemical recycling processescannot seperate colors or other from textiles.

New Chemical Recycling Concepts

Currently Three Technologies Avaialble forchemical Recycling

1. Glycolysis- Final product is Oligomer- Polyesters are glycolysed with MEG

2. Methanolysis- Final Product is DMT. - PET is transesterified with methanol- Eastman , Teijin, Loop Ind,

3. Hydrolysis- Final Product is PTA- PET is hydrolyzed with water- GR3n, Carbios

Challanges for textile recycling

1. Collecting

2. Sorting Polyester, Cottons and others

3. Cleaning from chemicals such as softeners, water repellents …

4. Seperation of polyesters from cotton, nylon in mixed garments…

5. Seperation from physical contaminantssuch as Buttons, zippers and seams

6. Color Romoval

Challanges for textile recycling

To achieve recycling for textiles, a close cooperation is necessary between brands, designers, fiber manufacturers, dye Houses, fabric manufacturers and chemical recycling plants….

Some Example Questions that need to be answered with close coordination;

- How can we collect post consumer textiles?- How can we sort different fabrics having different blend ratios? - Can we develop new polyesters which eliminates the need of blends of different fibers such as

polyester and cotton?- Can we decrease physical contaminants such as buttons, zippers..? Can we make those as polyester

as well?- Which dyes are easy to remove in chemical recycling? Which dyes are difficult to remove? - Which chemicals such as softeners, water repellents, antistatics and other surface treatments can

contaminate recycling system? Which of them can be taken out?

As you see, there are so many questions to be answered and so many technologies to develop in closecoordination.