Industry: Textiles and Apparel

Technology Focus: Chemical Recycling of Textile Waste

Background

In the face of rising environmental challenges and the escalating waste produced by the fast fashion industry, the need for sustainable materials and technologies has never been more urgent. Globally, less than 1% of textile waste is recycled, leading to significant resource loss and environmental damage as the majority ends up in landfills or incinerated.

Solution

A Leading Fortune 100 apparel Manufacturer entrusted Simreka to use its state-of-the-art AI and predictive maths powered software to simulate textile recycling—chemical recycling.

This process, also known as circular recycling, converts waste textiles back to their raw fiber form. The output is comparable to virgin materials, making it a revolutionary approach for both the environment and the economy.

Objectives

The project was driven by three main objectives:

1. Use Simreka’s software and algorithms to assess the life cycle environmental impacts of recycled textiles in the Higg’s format.

2. Ensure global chemical regulatory compliance for the current technology.

3. Identify and evaluate potential improvements for future enhancements in system and process levels.

Process and Collaboration

The study involved collaboration with seven technology partners, facilitating robust decision-making processes aimed at accelerating the adoption of sustainable materials within brand’s product lines. This partnership also ensured that the new materials were a good fit with the brand’s complex assessment methodology, supply chain, and end-product goals.

Results

• Environmental Impact: Simreka software’s analysis of the chemical recycling process demonstrated a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by over 50% compared to traditional methods.

• Quality and Efficiency: Simreka’s analysis further proved that Chemical recycling is superior to mechanical recycling as it handles diverse textile wastes without stringent input requirements and produces higher quality outputs.

• Cost Reduction and Market Speed: The report from simreka’s software further highlighted several potential process and technology improvements that could reduce development costs and accelerate the time to market for sustainable products.

Conclusion

This case study showcases how apparel manufacturers, in partnership with Simreka, can lead the way in sustainable textile manufacturing.

By adopting chemical recycling, apparel and textile manufacturers can not only mitigate its environmental footprint but also contributing to the evolution of more sustainable materials and technologies in the market.

This initiative not only addresses the immediate impacts of waste but also sets a benchmark for the industry’s move towards a more sustainable and profitable future.