Polyester is a key ingredient in fast fashion, accounting for 60 percent of the clothing worn. It also accounts for a disproportionate share of the clothing items that end up in landfill each year.
Polyester, a consumer plastic, is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Despite its unsustainable properties, polyester’s popularity and demand is extremely high.
New research from the University of Portsmouth in England aims to combat the environmental degradation caused by polyester textiles. The University of Portsmouth’s Center for Enzyme Innovation aims to develop an enzyme that can effectively ‘eat’ polyester textiles and clothing.
“We want a system that uses plastic the way we use glass or cans – infinitely recycled. Ultimately, it is about closing the loop – but this not only requires the technology, but also the will to do so,” explains Professor Andy Pickford, Director of the Center for Enzyme Innovation at the University of Portsmouth.
“Our research will determine the feasibility of using enzymes to break down PET in post-consumer textiles into a ‘soup’ of simple building blocks for reconversion into new polyesters, thereby reducing the need to produce new PET from fossil fuel-based chemicals. This will enable a circular economy for polyester textiles and ultimately reduce our dependence on extracting oil and gas from the ground,” adds Pickford.
Clothing has a low recycling rate
The university acknowledges that clothing has one of the lowest recycling rates, with much of it being incinerated or ending up in landfill. While it is possible to convert high-quality oil-based textiles into carpets and other products, current recycling methods are very energy intensive. The scientists hope the enzymes developed at the University of Portsmouth will help them create a green, circular economy for plastic-based clothing.
Statistics from the European Parliament show that the amount of clothing bought per person in the EU has increased by 40 percent since 1996, while prices have fallen sharply, which in turn has shortened the lifespan of clothing. Europeans use almost 26 kilograms of textiles every year and throw away around 11 kilograms of it. Used clothes can be exported to countries outside the EU, but the majority (87 percent) are incinerated or sent to landfill.
Globally, less than 1 percent of clothing is also recycled back into apparel, in part due to insufficient technology.
Source: Portsmouth University. More information can be found at www.port.ac.uk
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk.