Clothing from recycled fibers is a step in the right direction. Especially when the recycled fibers come from textile raw materials and not from PET bottles that come from a completely different industry. This is exactly where the problem is.
“At the moment there is a lack of transparency regarding the origin of textile raw materials. The industry cannot currently determine whether the recycled fibers from plastic bottles or another source come from it. The data collected is often not efficiently classified or standardized”, textile Exchange criticizes.
Therefore, the non-profit organization 2023 started a project for harmonizing data and system skills together with Fashion for Good and Branding Partners such as Adidas, Target, Bestseller, Norrøna and Levi Strauss & Co. They used the existing form “Reclaimed Material Declaration Form” (RMDF) of the textile Exchange. This verifies the source of a re -gained material that is either certified according to the “Global Recycled Standard” (GRS) or the “Recycled Claim Standard” (RCS).
Another goal was the standardization of recording and replacing textile waste data in the supply chain. For this purpose, contributions from collectors: inside, recyclers: inside such as recover and Usha yarns as well as certification bodies such as Control Union. The project also examined integration with digital platforms such as reverse resources in order to fill out data in advance and avoid duplications. This paves the way for a completely digital, interoperable traceability system.
Reclaimed material declaration shape now records fiber details
In 2023, the RMDF collected data on offering, shipping and product information. This included the type of material, its origin and whether it was pre- or post-consumer material. An important finding of the project was that the RMDF could be adjusted to record data standardized and thus facilitate traceability. The integration of the form into the systems used by the recyclers was also important to avoid that this data must enter twice or even several times.
The revised RMDF, recently published by textile Exchange, collects, collects, standardized and classified data on textile and non-textile waste. The information has been expanded and now includes the fiber composition, color, origin and source. It also laid the foundation for future digitization and scalable solutions in textile waste management.
“As soon as the data are recorded in the updated form, brands can recognize whether the raw materials come from recycled bottles or recycled textiles. Thanks to these larger transparency, brands can increase the amount of recycled textiles in their products and reduce the use of recycled bottles,” explains textile Exchange.
The use of the new RMDF is currently optional, but will be part of the trackit system of textile Exchange in the future. This system enables companies to check the data you need for product statements.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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