Recycling of complete garments possible?

Many consumers are increasingly paying attention to sustainability when it comes to textiles and clothing. However, garments consist not only of yarns and fibers but also of accessories such as zippers, buttons, etc. For a functioning circular economy, it is therefore better if these are also made of the same material. Thus, a process could be developed where all synthetic textiles and accessories can be recycled together.

One solution could be the bio-based plastic Vestamid Terra from Evonik Industries AG, Essen/Germany. The raw material for this plastic is obtained from castor bean seeds. The zipper manufacturer Nyguard SpA, Borgaro Torinese/Italy, has already produced a zipper including fabric tape from Vestamid Terra.

Even if there is still a long way to go before this vision is realized, because some details of clothing recycling still have to be invented, the prerequisites on the part of the manufacturers are in place.