- Advertisement -
Friday, June 9, 2023
Home Technology for Function Is recycled apparel sustainable?

Is recycled apparel sustainable?

Apparel made from recycled materials is a more eco-friendly option in today’s market. Simply because recycled clothing is using existing resources means that the energy required to make new materials is canceled out. For all types of fabric – from wool and cashmere to cotton and linen – recycled fibers are a great option for consumers’ sustainable wardrobe.

recycled-apparel-sustainable
Figure: Despite the rising popularity of recycled fashion, currently less than one percent of the materials used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing.

For synthetic fiber, studies show that the manufacturing process of recycled polyester generates 79% fewer carbon emissions than virgin polyester. However, it is vital not only to consider fiber quality and energy efficiency but also the difference between post-consumer waste and post-industrial waste.

though only a little proportion of clothing gets turned into clothing again, so most recycled garments are made with feedstock from other industries, for example, PET plastic bottles. These bottles tend to be mechanically rather than chemically recycled (a more expensive option), which after processing more than once, the quality is massively reduced due to progressively shorter and weaker fibers, therefore recycled polyester is not a closed-loop solution. Using bottles also means that the bottling industry cannot operate a closed-loop system, because its resources are transferred to the fashion sector instead.

Also, there is the issue of microplastics. Even when a synthetic garment is made from recycled fibers, with each washing machine cycle it still sheds around 700,000 microfibers into the water system, threatening both marine and human life just like with virgin polyester.

Related News

Functional Fashion Issue 04 week 10

 Download now  

Boohoo launches first pop-up shop in London to showcase new arrivals

Fashion retailer Boohoo has announced the opening of its very first pop-up store in Central London on Great Portland Street. The store opened on March...

Sweden and Indian researchers create new technology to purify tainted water

Researchers from Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur in India and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have created a new technique that quickly...

NC State separates mixed cotton from polyester by using enzymes in US

A team at North Carolina State University (NC State) has developed an enzyme-based method for separating mixed cotton and polyester fabric in the US....

H&M donates books and dressmaker mannequins to CIEOSH and BUFT

H&M Group, a multinational clothing giant, contributed books and dressmaker mannequins to the BGMEA Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and Occupational Safety and Health (CIEOSH)...

More like this

Functional Fashion Issue 04 week 10

0
 Download now  
Boohoo launches first pop-up shop in London to showcase new arrivals

Boohoo launches first pop-up shop in London to showcase new arrivals

0
Fashion retailer Boohoo has announced the opening of its very first pop-up store in Central London on Great Portland Street. The store opened on March...
Sweden and Indian researchers create new technology to purify tainted water

Sweden and Indian researchers create new technology to purify tainted water

0
Researchers from Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur in India and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have created a new technique that quickly...
Blended cotton polyester

NC State separates mixed cotton from polyester by using enzymes in US

0
A team at North Carolina State University (NC State) has developed an enzyme-based method for separating mixed cotton and polyester fabric in the US....
H&M donates books and dressmaker mannequins to CIEOSH and BUFT

H&M donates books and dressmaker mannequins to CIEOSH and BUFT

0
H&M Group, a multinational clothing giant, contributed books and dressmaker mannequins to the BGMEA Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and Occupational Safety and Health (CIEOSH)...
- Advertisement -