The European Union began funding the “New Cotton Project” in autumn 2020. The goal: to create recyclable fashion by developing new collaborations and technologies. A consortium of twelve brands, producers, suppliers, innovators and research institutes should prove that circular, sustainable fashion is feasible. The project, which is designed to run for a total of three years, has just published an initial interim result.
The good news: The first successful implementation of a recyclable value chain from textile sorting to the production of clothing samples has succeeded. In autumn, the two brands involved, H&M and Adidas, will launch the first products from the project. In the next step, the processes are to be commercialized and further developed on an industrial scale.
Development of the new cellulose fiber Infinna
Specifically, the consortium aims to collect and sort end-of-life textiles that can be regenerated using novel Infinited Fiber technology into a new cellulosic synthetic fiber called Infinna that looks and feels the same as new cotton. The textile sorting and mechanical processing phase was completed by Dutch recycling specialist Frankenhuis, who analyzed the fabric composition of the sorted textiles and studied pre-processing techniques to identify the right starting material for the Infinited Fiber Company’s process. These first steps were supported by REvolve Waste, also a Dutch company specializing in textile waste, recycling and textile material flows.
H&M and Adidas are preparing for commercial production
The scientific institute Xamk also optimized the pre-treatment process for scaling so that the Infinited Fiber Company could make the best use of its technology for the production of the textile fiber Infinna. The first batches were processed by manufacturers Kipas, Inovafil and Tekstina to produce high quality yarns and fabrics to carry out quality controls and test dyeability. The fabrics were then further developed into products by Adidas and H&M. Both companies are now preparing for commercial production.
Throughout the process, Aalto University has worked to design the flow of materials and produce the consortium’s first white paper examining the value of implementing the circular economy for the fashion industry. The process so far has highlighted a number of challenges and opportunities for the future of circular solutions for textiles:
Sorting is key for the circular economy
Sorting for recycling is key to promoting circularity in industry, but there are many challenges and opportunities in the process. Fiber identification technologies have limitations and a consistent method for sorting is lacking. With a unified system, feedstocks will be more consistent and able to take full advantage of current technology.
Mandatory reporting requirements for the fiber composition of textile products would help to more reliably assess the recyclability of materials on the market. In addition, the focus is on the design: the use of elastane or several layers of different textiles as well as unnecessary fiber mixtures should be reduced to a minimum.
Consumer attitudes need to change
To address another important aspect of the project, Adidas also conducted a series of consumer surveys to understand consumer attitudes towards circular and recycled fashion.
As a result, culture is one of the biggest barriers to adopting the circular economy in Europe. Adidas’ quantitative consumer survey, conducted in three key markets, shows that there is still a lack of understanding of the circular economy related to textiles, underscoring the need for more ongoing consumer education.
However, the survey also revealed that more than half of consumers would like to participate in brand-independent take-back systems. It also showed that there is an overall positive perception of recycled textiles and a willingness to accept differences in recycled textiles, suggesting that a wider range of recycled clothing on the market would be well received.
Conclusion: New communication and working methods need to be introduced throughout the value chain to establish closer collaboration between designers, sorting plants and recycling technologies. Communication with consumers must not be left out either.