Mechanical Recycling of Textiles
In a context marked by climate change and resource scarcity, recycling is emerging as a key lever to reduce our environmental footprint and preserve raw materials—when reuse, repair, or repurposing are no longer feasible.
Among the existing technologies, mechanical recycling stands out as the most widely used and established method to date.
Mechanical recycling process
Mechanical recycling represents the oldest approach among current recycling pathways. It involves a series of mechanical processes such as cutting, tearing/garneting, unraveling, or grinding, which are used to convert waste into recycled raw materials (RRMs).
The Role of Tearing/Garnetting and Unraveling
Tearing consists of successively drawing of textiles to break them down and recover fibers. Unraveling is a less aggressive process that allows the recovery of longer fibers suitable for yarn spinning. These recycled fibers are then used to produce nonwovens (insulation), composite materials, fibers for new yarns, or stuffing. However, some limitations remain: the processes can be hindered by the presence of elastane, metal-plastic threads, or non-shreddable fabrics (lace, tulle, etc.).
The Role of Cutting and Grinding
Textile cutting aims to recover more or less large pieces depending on the intended application. It can be done manually or by automated cutters. Grinding involves reducing the size of textiles into shreds, granules, or fibers measuring a few centimeters or millimeters. The final size depends on the intended use. These processes are widely used for producing wiping cloths, stuffing, or composite materials. Metal-plastic threads often pose issues during these recycling preparation steps.
Applications of mechanical recycling
There are many applications resulting from tearing, unraveling, cutting, and grinding. These are divided into closed-loop applications, where the recycled raw material is reintegrated into the clothing sector, and open-loop applications, where the material is used in other industries (automotive, construction, plastics, etc.). These different pathways are complementary and essential to valorize the entire post-consumer textile stream.
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Wiping cloths (open loop): Textiles are cut into panels to be used as industrial wipes. This outlet is mainly reserved for cotton textiles.
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Panels and composite materials (open loop): Recycled fibers are incorporated into composites to produce panels, bricks, or furniture components. This type of recovery is especially suitable for cotton textiles, synthetic fibers, or cotton/polyester blends.
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Yarn spinning (closed loop): Long fibers from tearing can be reused to create new yarns. These yarns are often made of a mix of recycled fibers and virgin fibers (called carrier fibers) to ensure adequate mechanical and aesthetic properties. This pathway favors single-material articles in cotton, wool, and acrylic.
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Nonwovens (open loop): Recycled fibers are transformed into webs used for insulation, padding, or technical parts. This is currently the most developed end use in terms of volume and growth potential. The main waste streams targeted are single-material cotton articles, cotton/polyester blends, and acrylic blends.
Mechanical recycling is currently the most industrialized textile recycling method and offers several advantages. However, it faces multiple obstacles such as the high cost of recycled fibers, a lack of industrial-scale infrastructure - particularly for processing post-consumer textiles - and the absence of eco-design in most products, which complicates end-of-life recycling. To overcome these challenges, better coordination among industry players and the development of advanced sorting technologies are essential.
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