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AI enables customization of enzymes to recycle plastic waste
March 1st, 2024
Protein Evolution uses artificial intelligence to determine the correct enzymes to recycle textile and plastic waste into fresh materials. The first garment made with the biologically recycled polyester process by Protein Evolution Inc., a “parachute” parka, was on display at the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in December in Dubai, United […]
Honda workers give the shirts off their backs
December 1st, 2023
Shredded worker uniforms find a new use in vehicles as insulation. Image: Honda Honda is working toward becoming 100% carbon neutral and using only sustainable materials and clean energy by 2050—goals that require creative recycling solutions. One initiative already in practice repurposes old worker uniforms, transforming the textiles into sound-absorbing insulation used in vehicles, keeping […]
Gingerbread ingredient could recycle cotton-poly blends
November 1st, 2023
A polyester fabric dress is being cut up into small pieces and put in a container with hartshorn salt and a mild solvent. Chemists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have learned that an Old World leavening agent used in gingerbread can separate cotton-poly blended fibers. The baking ingredient hartshorn salt, also known as […]
Mattress textiles could be used to make EV batteries
August 1st, 2023
In a three-year study at the National Institute for Materials Advancement at Pittsburg State University (PSU) in Kansas, researchers led by Ram Gupta, Ph.D., developed a process that transforms mattress textiles into conductive carbon materials used to make the anodes and cathodes in lithium-sulfur rechargeable batteries. These next-generation electric vehicle (EV) lithium-sulfur batteries have two […]
SAYA Rscuw Project awarded for innovation in reducing textile waste
April 1st, 2021
A magnified illustration of fabric woven of Rscuw Raw Fiber. Photo: SAYA. The SAYA Rscuw (Recycled Scrap and Cutting Waste) Project is addressing one of the largest areas of hidden waste in the textile industry: cutting scrap and overstock fabrics. Cutting scrap amounts to 25% wastage per yard, with fabric overruns amounting to 8.7 million […]
New technology for textile recycling underway
April 1st, 2021
Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer announced that its partnership with H&M Group and Worn Again Technologies is developing technology for closed-loop recycling of textiles. Because of the complexity of garment production, chemical recycling techniques to date have been applied to a minor share of end-of-use textiles and clothing. As the major technology partner for U.K.-based […]
Initiatives in textile recycling
November 1st, 2020
Circular systems could monetize textile waste while helping to save the planet. by Debra Cobb The textile sustainability landscape is changing. While textile manufacturers, brands and retailers tout their use of recycled or sustainable fibers, mountains of textile waste continue to pile up in the world’s landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that in […]
SMART launches second annual Halloween costume contest
October 2nd, 2015
The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) has launched its second annual SMART Upcycled Halloween Costume Contest. Individuals are invited to enter homemade, upcycled Halloween costumes for a chance to win a $100 first prize Amazon gift card. Second and third prize winners will receive a $50 and $25 Amazon gift card, respectively. The […]
VTT to turn waste cotton into fashion line
September 23rd, 2015
Effective in 2016, the European Union ban on placing organic waste at landfills is fast approaching. In response, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a cellulose dissolution technique that turns old, worn-out cotton clothing into new fibers for the textile industry. Based on this process, VTT has teamed up with Ethica Ltd. […]