Overview
Polyester is the most widely used textile sfibre globally and demand is increasing every year. Polyester is non-renewable and a major contributor to climate change. Today, hardly any polyester is recycled 'textile-to-textile': 99% of recycled polyester comes from PET bottles - so the material is mostly lost when it enters the textile cycle. One of the central obstacles in textile-to-textile recycling is the material mix in textiles.
The goal of the InnoSuisse project Mono.Loop.Poly is to substitute virgin polyester in the sportswear industry through a circular use of the material.
The project aims to develop integrated solutions in three innovation fields to achieve this goal.
1 ‘textile-to-textile’ material cycle
The project develops a local, closed 'textile-to-textile' material cycle for polyester. The approach adopted is different from the traditional method of designing individual products in a circular way. Instead, standards are being developed for the material cycle, which will benefit different brands if they follow the set standards. This standards will enable them to feed polyester into the material loop and purchase it, whilst also supporting collaboration along the value chain.
The standards and the material cycle will be developed and reviewed in partnership with business partners along the value chain, from yarn development with 'Monosuisse', fabric development with 'Schöller Textiles', a sportswear prototype with 'Rotauf’, and the take-back system with 'iceep’, up to and including chemical recycling at laboratory level with 'DePoly'.
2 Monomaterial Design Library
A modular monomaterial design library complements the material cycle. This library consists of tested processes and accessories such as closures, insulation fleeces and fabrics that are compatible with the material cycle. The library also showcases the variety of aesthetic and functional options available within the material cycle, and is continually growing. As a result, brands and designers can efficiently develop circular polyester products while simplifying quality management.
3 Monomaterial back injection moulding on textiles
As part of the library, a 'cross-technology' approach of mono-material back injection moulding on textiles is being developed in cooperation with the research partner 'OST, IWK'.
The goal is to manufacture accessories, such as closures, in the same material used for the textile itself, thereby reducing the introduction of foreign materials that interfere with the recycling process.
The project takes into account upcoming EU regulations concerning recyclability requirements and minimum recycled content for textiles.
