Did you know that mechanical textile recycling has a long-standing tradition? Over the centuries, the business model of shredding mills has evolved considerably. Today, research institutes such as STFI in Chemnitz are leading further development in this field.
Anyone who thinks that mechanical textile recycling is a brainchild of the European Commission should have a conversation with Thomas Fischer. As Advisor for the Textile Recycling, Circular Economy and Market Development division at the Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management (bvse, Bonn), he is well-versed in its history:
“Rags were already used in ancient China for papermaking. This knowledge spread to Europe via the Middle East in the 7th century, where rag collectors supplied paper mills with textile raw materials such as cotton, linen and hemp. In the 19th century, with the invention of techniques for producing shoddy wool, textile fibres could also be reused to manufacture new textiles. These were typically turned into inexpensive fabrics used for clothing and more.”
Scarcity Drives Innovation
The industry experienced a boom during the Second World War: as primary raw materials for textile production became scarce, they had to be recovered from used garments. However, the resource was not limitless. After the war, when there were hardly any recyclable textiles left in Germany, such materials were even imported to supply paper factories and shredding mills! But the success story was short-lived. Falling prices for virgin fibres, high costs for secondary fibres, and the consumer boom of the post-war years in West Germany nearly brought mechanical fibre recycling to a halt. Economic turmoil in the early 1970s and a global surge in demand for second-hand clothing sealed its fate.
“The recycling businesses had no choice but to adapt to the new realities.”
“The collection, sorting and sale of wearable second-hand clothing became a welcome supplementary business. Today, it forms the economic backbone of the effective textile collection system in Germany and among our member companies – and makes a significant contribution to the circular management of used textiles.”
History Repeats Itself
While wardrobes in West Germany filled with new clothes from the 1960s onwards and textile reuse fell out of fashion, fibre recycling saw a resurgence in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Johannes Leis, research associate for nonwovens and recycling at the Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI), explains the role played by his institution:
“From the 1970s onwards, our predecessor institutes were already conducting research and development on recycling used textiles due to resource shortages in the GDR. The focus at the time was on processing production waste from the textile and clothing industries for use as impact sound insulation in flooring.”
“In contrast, recycling post-consumer textiles was still problematic due to the difficulty of separating out non-textile components such as buttons, zips, etc., which hindered efficient processing.”
After German reunification, STFI continued to advance mechanical fibre recycling. In the 1990s and 2000s, numerous research projects were launched to optimise the mechanical recycling process. Innovations such as the separation of non-textile components using cyclones, air classifiers and beater wolves originated from joint projects between STFI and its partners. Another groundbreaking development from Saxony was the individual drive control of opening units in the recycling process.
“These are key innovations and now represent state of the art in mechanical textile recycling,” says Johannes Leis. “Thanks to these technologies, our institute can now conduct research on the mechanical processing of both post-industrial textile waste and post-consumer waste from clothing collections – as well as on the recovery of carbon fibres from lightweight textile composites.” These contributions support the implementation of circularity in the textile and apparel industry as set out by the European Commission.
What Does This Mean for the Textile Care Sector?
As we will explore in our next article, both sorting companies and research institutes depend on reliable sources of material. Textile service providers – particularly those specialising in laundry for hotels and hospitals – can fulfil this role. The used textiles removed from rental service cycles are available in large quantities, with a largely homogeneous composition and high quality.
These three factors are crucial for making reuse and/or mechanical fibre recovery economically viable.
Sabine Anton-Katzenbach
Graduate textile engineer and freelance journalist
Sabine Anton-Katzenbach holds a degree in textile engineering and works as a freelance journalist. For over three decades, she has been covering the textile care industry and reporting on its many different facets.
Further content on the focus topic of textile recycling
