Kate Goldsworthy: The role of new technology & polymer engineering in the forward recycling of synthetic textiles
Designer and PhD student, Textiles Environment Design project (TED), Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts London
The role of new technology & polymer engineering in the forward recycling of synthetic textiles
My practice-based PhD project is concerned with the exploration of existing recycling technology and how it can be utilised in the forward processing of synthetic polymer textiles. Ultimately I will be designing textile products with 100% recycled content, which are also recyclable in order to prevent the product being sent to landfill after its useful life has finished.
As part of this research I have been looking at the role of polymers, and in particular polyester, as a key material in the recycling chain.
Polyester accounts for around 40% of the global textile market, and therefore around 40% of the textile material sent to landfill or incinerated each year. It also accounts for around 6% of the global plastics market and according to figures from the Environment Agency this represents around 180,000 tonnes of discarded material annually in the UK.
As a material present in large quantities, both in plastic and textile waste forms, polyester is a key material impacting landfill figures. As a ‘thermoplastic,’ polyester is suited to many re-manufacturing techniques, which are not considered standard textile practice. It has been assessed to have a relatively small environmental footprint, with substantial benefits to be gained from recycling.
- The Conservation of non-renewable fossil fuels – plastic production uses 8% of the world’s oil production, 4% as feedstock and 4% during production.
- Reduced energy consumption when compared to manufacturing virgin polymer materials
- Reduced amounts of solid waste going to landfill
- And Reduced emissions of carbon-dioxide (CO2), nitrogen-oxide (NO) and sulphur-dioxide (SO2).
Polyester can be recycled into sheet, fibre, powder, pellets and solid forms. Each of these forms is suitable for use with manufacturing technologies but there are few existing visions for producing textiles in this way.
These varied processing options provide a highly flexible resource for innovative redesign solutions. However, although the recycling of polyester into textile applications is now very well established it is usually processed into a traditional yarn and then used in established textile production processes such as weaving and knitting. The area I am looking at in my design practice is the journey between the re-polymerised material and the finished textile product. By taking advantage of new technology and digital manufacturing techniques I can imagine non-woven modular textile products, which are conceived in a totally new way. This will be explored during the presentation with visual examples.
- I will discuss the problem of waste and the contribution the textile industry makes to this waste.
- I will then define the different types of textile materials, which, end up in landfill according to McDonough & Braungart’s ‘Cradle to Cradle’ theory and argue that polyester is a major part of this waste production.
- Finally I will present polymer-recycling processes as part of an improved scenario for the textile industry and focus on the methods currently available in this area. I will describe the advantages of recycling polyester and present examples of my own design development in this area.