Used Textiles
Breaking new ground in Turkey’s textile industry
The Starlinger recoSTAR universal 165 H-VAC iV+, which is part of Korteks’ 10 million dollars investment in a new polymer recycling facility, took up operation in May 2021. It has a production capacity of 7,200 tons per year and currently processes clean in-house polyester fibers from production scrap together with washed post-consumer PET flakes at a ratio of 50/50. Korteks uses the polyester regranulate at a share of 100 % for its new polyester filament yarn line it is going to market under the name “TAÇ Reborn”. With this investment, the company has made an important step towards establishing a circular economy in the Turkish textile industry.
“We have been in extensive cooperation with Starlinger for a long time” said Barış Mert, General Manager of Korteks. “Thanks to their unique and innovative recycling technology we can offer new products in line with the circular economy model. That’s why, as Europe’s largest integrated and innovative polyester yarn producer, we are very pleased to work with Starlinger, the market leader in PET and polyester recycling and refining.”
Rapid Sleeve Changer: Finest melt filtration for perfect yarn
The Starlinger recycling line is the first of its kind in Turkey and is equipped with special components for filament yarn recycling. A RSC (Rapid Sleeve Changer) candle filter developed by Starlinger ensures finest melt filtration down to 15 μm. It has been specially designed for polyester recycling and reaches an output of 1000 kg/h. For continuous operation the filter elements are changed “on the fly” without interrupting production, which significantly limits melt loss.
The viscoSTAR SSP unit at the end of the recycling process guarantees consistent IV increase according to the first-in-first-out principle. This makes sure that the produced regranulate has the ideal properties required for filament yarn production. The technical configuration of the line does not only allow the processing of a polyester fiber/PET flake mix as input materials, but also 100 % polyester filament scrap or 100 % PET bottle flakes.
With the new recycling facility, which comprises a total closed area of 17,000 m² and has a monthly production capacity of 600 tons, Korteks was able to reduce the production waste at its virgin PES yarn site to zero.
A paradigm shift in synthetic fiber production
“We are proud to be a partner in Korteks’ quest for more sustainability in the textile business”, said Paul Niedl, Commercial Head of Starlinger recycling technology. “Turkey is a significant global player in this industry. If more and more Turkish textile manufacturers start using recycled materials, this will be an important signal for the sector and a big step towards a circular economy. We support this development with our extensive know-how in synthetic fiber recycling and supply the fine-tuned and reliable recycling technology required in this field.”
Korteks expects the recycling market in general to grow as there is increased acceptance for recycled products in the society, and predicts the need for recycling solutions also for other synthetic and natural fibers.
“At Korteks, we always aim at sustainable growth that reduces environmental impact and creates value. For this reason, we are gradually expanding our product range in sustainable and smart textiles every day”, said Barış Mert. “The period of the pandemic that the world has been going through has once again strikingly revealed the necessity of building a sustainable living together. The textile industry is also deeply affected by this big transformation on the globe. We believe that those who can manage this change well will also set the global textile agenda in the future. With this belief, we carried out the polyester recycling facility project with an investment of 10 million dollars. Thanks to this project, we broke new ground in Turkey and can produce polyester filament yarn from 100 % PET bottles. Having Starlinger at our side as a business partner gives us strength in our long-term journey towards sustainability.”
Breaking new ground in Turkey’s textile industry
The Starlinger recoSTAR universal 165 H-VAC iV+, which is part of Korteks’ 10 million dollars investment in a new polymer recycling facility, took up operation in May 2021. It has a production capacity of 7,200 tons per year and currently processes clean in-house polyester fibers from production scrap together with washed post-consumer PET flakes at a ratio of 50/50. Korteks uses the polyester regranulate at a share of 100 % for its new polyester filament yarn line it is going to market under the name “TAÇ Reborn”. With this investment, the company has made an important step towards establishing a circular economy in the Turkish textile industry.
“We have been in extensive cooperation with Starlinger for a long time” said Barış Mert, General Manager of Korteks. “Thanks to their unique and innovative recycling technology we can offer new products in line with the circular economy model. That’s why, as Europe’s largest integrated and innovative polyester yarn producer, we are very pleased to work with Starlinger, the market leader in PET and polyester recycling and refining.”
Rapid Sleeve Changer: Finest melt filtration for perfect yarn
The Starlinger recycling line is the first of its kind in Turkey and is equipped with special components for filament yarn recycling. A RSC (Rapid Sleeve Changer) candle filter developed by Starlinger ensures finest melt filtration down to 15 μm. It has been specially designed for polyester recycling and reaches an output of 1000 kg/h. For continuous operation the filter elements are changed “on the fly” without interrupting production, which significantly limits melt loss.
The viscoSTAR SSP unit at the end of the recycling process guarantees consistent IV increase according to the first-in-first-out principle. This makes sure that the produced regranulate has the ideal properties required for filament yarn production. The technical configuration of the line does not only allow the processing of a polyester fiber/PET flake mix as input materials, but also 100 % polyester filament scrap or 100 % PET bottle flakes.
With the new recycling facility, which comprises a total closed area of 17,000 m² and has a monthly production capacity of 600 tons, Korteks was able to reduce the production waste at its virgin PES yarn site to zero.
A paradigm shift in synthetic fiber production
“We are proud to be a partner in Korteks’ quest for more sustainability in the textile business”, said Paul Niedl, Commercial Head of Starlinger recycling technology. “Turkey is a significant global player in this industry. If more and more Turkish textile manufacturers start using recycled materials, this will be an important signal for the sector and a big step towards a circular economy. We support this development with our extensive know-how in synthetic fiber recycling and supply the fine-tuned and reliable recycling technology required in this field.”
Korteks expects the recycling market in general to grow as there is increased acceptance for recycled products in the society, and predicts the need for recycling solutions also for other synthetic and natural fibers.
“At Korteks, we always aim at sustainable growth that reduces environmental impact and creates value. For this reason, we are gradually expanding our product range in sustainable and smart textiles every day”, said Barış Mert. “The period of the pandemic that the world has been going through has once again strikingly revealed the necessity of building a sustainable living together. The textile industry is also deeply affected by this big transformation on the globe. We believe that those who can manage this change well will also set the global textile agenda in the future. With this belief, we carried out the polyester recycling facility project with an investment of 10 million dollars. Thanks to this project, we broke new ground in Turkey and can produce polyester filament yarn from 100 % PET bottles. Having Starlinger at our side as a business partner gives us strength in our long-term journey towards sustainability.”
Euric specifications for textile handling and sorting
Textiles and clothing are essential to our everyday life. Over the last two decades, the clothing consumption has more than doubled, leading to a drastic increase of discarded textiles. The EU-wide obligation to separately collect textiles by 2025 will further increase the supply of used textiles, shoes and accessories. To ensure optimal re-use and recycling of the used textiles, proper handling and sorting is essential.
The newly published “Euric Textiles Handling & Sorting Specifications for re-use and recycling of used textiles” are recommended as a guideline throughout the collection and sorting process to prepare items for either re-use or recycling in accordance with the waste hierarchy and best practices of the industry. They are intended to be used by industry professionals throughout the textile value chain in their day-to-day operations as the processes described secure the high quality of second-hand textiles for re-use and/or the appropriate infeed for the subsequent recycling process.
“At Euric Textiles, we feel it is important to have uniform and clear specifications describing how used textiles should be handled to achieve the highest possible percentage of re-use and recycling”, explained Mariska Zandvliet, Euric Textiles President. “With the expected increase of used textiles to be collected after 2025, it must remain our top priority to minimize quality loss throughout the sorting process and maximize possibilities to re-use and recycle. Our specifications, prepared by leading industry professionals, ensure that the quality in collected textiles is retained and describe a sorting process for sustainable re-use and recycling. Thus, serving as reliable source for the entire industry facilitating circularity in textiles“, she concluded.
Euric specifications for textile handling and sorting
Textiles and clothing are essential to our everyday life. Over the last two decades, the clothing consumption has more than doubled, leading to a drastic increase of discarded textiles. The EU-wide obligation to separately collect textiles by 2025 will further increase the supply of used textiles, shoes and accessories. To ensure optimal re-use and recycling of the used textiles, proper handling and sorting is essential.
The newly published “Euric Textiles Handling & Sorting Specifications for re-use and recycling of used textiles” are recommended as a guideline throughout the collection and sorting process to prepare items for either re-use or recycling in accordance with the waste hierarchy and best practices of the industry. They are intended to be used by industry professionals throughout the textile value chain in their day-to-day operations as the processes described secure the high quality of second-hand textiles for re-use and/or the appropriate infeed for the subsequent recycling process.
“At Euric Textiles, we feel it is important to have uniform and clear specifications describing how used textiles should be handled to achieve the highest possible percentage of re-use and recycling”, explained Mariska Zandvliet, Euric Textiles President. “With the expected increase of used textiles to be collected after 2025, it must remain our top priority to minimize quality loss throughout the sorting process and maximize possibilities to re-use and recycle. Our specifications, prepared by leading industry professionals, ensure that the quality in collected textiles is retained and describe a sorting process for sustainable re-use and recycling. Thus, serving as reliable source for the entire industry facilitating circularity in textiles“, she concluded.
Euric specifications for textile handling and sorting
Textiles and clothing are essential to our everyday life. Over the last two decades, the clothing consumption has more than doubled, leading to a drastic increase of discarded textiles. The EU-wide obligation to separately collect textiles by 2025 will further increase the supply of used textiles, shoes and accessories. To ensure optimal re-use and recycling of the used textiles, proper handling and sorting is essential.
The newly published “Euric Textiles Handling & Sorting Specifications for re-use and recycling of used textiles” are recommended as a guideline throughout the collection and sorting process to prepare items for either re-use or recycling in accordance with the waste hierarchy and best practices of the industry. They are intended to be used by industry professionals throughout the textile value chain in their day-to-day operations as the processes described secure the high quality of second-hand textiles for re-use and/or the appropriate infeed for the subsequent recycling process.
“At Euric Textiles, we feel it is important to have uniform and clear specifications describing how used textiles should be handled to achieve the highest possible percentage of re-use and recycling”, explained Mariska Zandvliet, Euric Textiles President. “With the expected increase of used textiles to be collected after 2025, it must remain our top priority to minimize quality loss throughout the sorting process and maximize possibilities to re-use and recycle. Our specifications, prepared by leading industry professionals, ensure that the quality in collected textiles is retained and describe a sorting process for sustainable re-use and recycling. Thus, serving as reliable source for the entire industry facilitating circularity in textiles“, she concluded.
Euric specifications for textile handling and sorting
Textiles and clothing are essential to our everyday life. Over the last two decades, the clothing consumption has more than doubled, leading to a drastic increase of discarded textiles. The EU-wide obligation to separately collect textiles by 2025 will further increase the supply of used textiles, shoes and accessories. To ensure optimal re-use and recycling of the used textiles, proper handling and sorting is essential.
The newly published “Euric Textiles Handling & Sorting Specifications for re-use and recycling of used textiles” are recommended as a guideline throughout the collection and sorting process to prepare items for either re-use or recycling in accordance with the waste hierarchy and best practices of the industry. They are intended to be used by industry professionals throughout the textile value chain in their day-to-day operations as the processes described secure the high quality of second-hand textiles for re-use and/or the appropriate infeed for the subsequent recycling process.
“At Euric Textiles, we feel it is important to have uniform and clear specifications describing how used textiles should be handled to achieve the highest possible percentage of re-use and recycling”, explained Mariska Zandvliet, Euric Textiles President. “With the expected increase of used textiles to be collected after 2025, it must remain our top priority to minimize quality loss throughout the sorting process and maximize possibilities to re-use and recycle. Our specifications, prepared by leading industry professionals, ensure that the quality in collected textiles is retained and describe a sorting process for sustainable re-use and recycling. Thus, serving as reliable source for the entire industry facilitating circularity in textiles“, she concluded.
Recycled Textiles as a Solution to Overfilling Landfills
Recycled textile is procured through reusing old outfits and waste materials through an array of different treatments. Recyclable textiles are typically found in municipal waste from sources such as waste clothes, footwear, rugs, towels etc. The significance of reusing textiles is highly being recognized. Nevertheless, textile recycling is certainly a prominent challenge to be remitted as we should definitely move closer to a zero landfill circle.
Once dumped in the disposal area, it takes a few weeks or sometimes a few years for natural fibers to degrade properly. They may let out CO2 and methane gas into the blue. At the same time, synthetic textiles are crafted not to putrefy. In the landfill, they may release toxic elements into soil and groundwater.
When it comes to textile recycling, the benefits it provides are numerous indeed. The advantages are as follows:
- Declines landfill space supplies, keeping in mind that clothing made of synthetic textile do not really decay easily and that there remains a chance even for natural fibers to release greenhouse fumes.
- Decreases unnecessary consumption of energy and water.
- Shuns off pollution.
- Finally, gives way to reduced demand for dyes.
Andritz, an Austrian venture, is all set to stock textile recycling tools to a Sweden based green-field reprocessing factory, namely Renewcell. The start-up of the firm is slated for the next year. The Andritz plant happens to provide recycling solutions for an array of different applications such as organic, wood waste, household, and the like.
The prime elements of the new reprocessing method will be Andritz ADuro shredders and it will rip up used textiles in only one tearing up rung. With distinctive abilities, the ADuro shredders will expurgate the incoming material evenly and neatly while allowing a considerably high throughput. In the succeeding separation phases, contaminants like zips, fasteners, and brooches will be drawn out from the frayed textiles. Renewcell utilizes this pre-treated substances to yield an unadulterated and untainted natural dissolving mash made from hundred per cent recycled fabrics & knits. Textile recycling agents across the globe have made a fervent plea for countries to follow the market instance in Africa and cuddle the depletion of used attires and fabrics to creep up on a circular economy.
There is a pretty common fallacy that secondhand outfit shipped to developing economies partly come off being discarded right away. However, the fact is apparels not sold straight in the market simply gets deputed over the supply chain and ends up being vended in other smaller marketplaces throughout the province. Also, it is fair to understand that no lucrative business will ever lay out money on packaging, conveying, and distributing products only to get them heaped in a dumping ground.
As per the experts in this domain, textile recycling is rather the solution than the hiccup. Secondhand attires exported to different regions are classified and assembled for customer preferences and needs. The truth is if apparels don’t sell, they are often dispatched to other markets, may be in some different countries, for exchange or reprocessing; and they are hardly thrown away.
According to Allied Market Research, the global recycled textile market is projected to cite a significant CAGR from 2020 to 2027. The considerable low cost of recycled goods than that of virgin produces has acted as the major driver fueling the growth of the recycled textiles market in more than one way. Also, in the past few years, there’s been huge development in recycling technologies across the world which has paved the way for a plethora of opportunities in the industry.
The fact that recycled polyesters are resistant to chemicals, durable, sturdy, and easy to dye has made them a highly preferred choice in several industry verticals. At the same time, properties such as high strength, good resistance & pliability, and high moisture retrieval capacity make recycled nylon an expedient option too. Furthermore, reprocessing of nylon tends to hold out less energy depletion, waste water reserves, and reduction of CO2 emission. This factor even boosts the demand for recycled nylon yet more.
Here, it’s worth stating that the outbreak of COVID-19 led to extended lockdowns and bans on international trade, which in turn impacted the recycled textile market negatively. Nonetheless, as the government bodies have started easing off the restrictions and mass inoculation drives have been initiated in the majority of countries, the market is expected to recoup soon.
Andritz to supply textile recycling Sweden
Core elements of the new recycling system will be Andritz ADuro shredders, which will shred used textiles in only one shredding step. With unique capabilities, the ADuro shredders cut the incoming material uniformly and cleanly while enabling a very high throughput. In the subsequent separation stages, contaminants like buttons and zippers will be removed from the shredded textiles. Renewcell uses this pre-treated material to produce a pure, natural dissolving pulp made from 100% recycled textiles.
In addition, the scope of supply includes additional key pieces of equipment. With the state-of-the-art equipment from Andritz, up to 60,000 tons of used textiles per year can be handled in the new recycling plant.
Renewcell, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, was founded in 2012 and is specialized in the recycling of textiles. The recycling technology employed by Renewcell dissolves used cotton and other cellulose fibers and transforms them into a new raw material, the so called Circulose® pulp, which is further used to make biodegradable virgin quality viscose or lyocell textile fibers for the fashion industry.
Andritz to supply textile recycling Sweden
Core elements of the new recycling system will be Andritz ADuro shredders, which will shred used textiles in only one shredding step. With unique capabilities, the ADuro shredders cut the incoming material uniformly and cleanly while enabling a very high throughput. In the subsequent separation stages, contaminants like buttons and zippers will be removed from the shredded textiles. Renewcell uses this pre-treated material to produce a pure, natural dissolving pulp made from 100% recycled textiles.
In addition, the scope of supply includes additional key pieces of equipment. With the state-of-the-art equipment from Andritz, up to 60,000 tons of used textiles per year can be handled in the new recycling plant.
Renewcell, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, was founded in 2012 and is specialized in the recycling of textiles. The recycling technology employed by Renewcell dissolves used cotton and other cellulose fibers and transforms them into a new raw material, the so called Circulose® pulp, which is further used to make biodegradable virgin quality viscose or lyocell textile fibers for the fashion industry.
Andritz to supply textile recycling Sweden
Core elements of the new recycling system will be Andritz ADuro shredders, which will shred used textiles in only one shredding step. With unique capabilities, the ADuro shredders cut the incoming material uniformly and cleanly while enabling a very high throughput. In the subsequent separation stages, contaminants like buttons and zippers will be removed from the shredded textiles. Renewcell uses this pre-treated material to produce a pure, natural dissolving pulp made from 100% recycled textiles.
In addition, the scope of supply includes additional key pieces of equipment. With the state-of-the-art equipment from Andritz, up to 60,000 tons of used textiles per year can be handled in the new recycling plant.
Renewcell, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, was founded in 2012 and is specialized in the recycling of textiles. The recycling technology employed by Renewcell dissolves used cotton and other cellulose fibers and transforms them into a new raw material, the so called Circulose® pulp, which is further used to make biodegradable virgin quality viscose or lyocell textile fibers for the fashion industry.