recycled wool - eog · 4 benefits & challenges of recycled wool 19 4.1 recycled wool & life...

RECYCLED WOOL A Primer for Newcomers & Rediscoverers

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1 Introduction 3

1.1KeyQuestionstobeAddressedinthisReport 4

2. Background 5

2.1Terminology 6

2.2LegalContext:TextileWaste&theLaw 7

2.2PrimaryMaterialAvailability,Pricing&Quality 7

3 The(ClosedLoop)RecyclingWoolProcess 8

3.1ProductioninPractice:APhotoStory 10

3.1.1IncomingMaterial 11

3.1.2QualityControl&Sorting 12

3.1.3PullingofKnittedMaterial 12

3.1.4Wet-pullingProcessforWovenMaterials 13

3.1.5LabRecipe 13

3.1.6Blending 15

3.1.7Carding 16

3.1.8Spinning&TwistingtoFinishedYarn 17

3.1.9FinishedProduct 18

4 Benefits&ChallengesofRecycledWool 19

4.1RecycledWool&LifeCycleAssessment:StatusQuo 19

4.2Integrity&Traceability 21

4.3ChemicalManagement 24

4.4Leadtimes 27

5 Summary&Conclusion 29

6 References 30

ImportantNotefortheReader:

Thisdocumentisa‘livingdocument’.Itisarepresentationofthecurrentknowledgeatthetimeofwriting.

Therefore,weproactivelyinviteinput,feedback,andimprovementsuggestionsfromexperts,inordertokeepreadersuptodatewiththelatestfindingsandinformation.

Thedocumentwillbere-disseminatedfollowingrelevantupdates.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION1. Woolisslowlyrecoveringsomeofitsformerpopularity.Whileforsomeitisanoldacquaintance,formanyothersinthiscurrenttimeandage,itisanew,ormaybemoreaccurately,novelmaterialfortheportfolio.Newgenerationsofusersmightconsiderwoolasoneoptiontoimproveabrand’smaterialsportfolio.Woolalsoopensupopportunitiesforproductinnovation,aswellasforlearningafreshaboutthechallengesandbenefitsrelatedtousingthisanimal-originatedfibre.

Itisinthiscontextthatawarenessabout,andhencescrutinyof,arangeofpossiblechallengesincreases.Afewofthemostimportanttomentionarerelatedtotheenvironmentalcredentialsofrecycledcontent,itstraceabilityandauthenticity,andanimalwelfare.

SuchfocusalignswellwiththewiderworkdoneinthisareasuchasthedevelopmentoftheResponsibleWoolStandard(RWS) [TE RWS],whichfocusesonthetraceabilityofvirginwool.

Asaresultofallofthesedifferentefforts,step-wiseprogressismade:Traceabilityandimpactdatagapsarebeingclosed;designguidelinesarebeingmadepubliclyavailable;oldprocessesarebeingunearthed;andnewtechnologiesarebeingdevelopedordiscovered.

Inthelastyears,theapparelindustryhasincreasinglylookedforrecycledmaterials.Thequestionsthathavebeenworkedonformaterialssuchascotton,polyester,nylonandevendown,arenowalsobeingaskedforwool:isrecycled,ratherthanvirginwool,aviableanddesirableingredient,bothfromaproductaswellassustainabilitypointofview1?

Unlikemanyothertextilefibres,usedwoolclothinghaslongbeencompatiblewithbothopenloopandclosedlooprecyclingprocesses,andcommerciallyexploitedasarawmaterialforatleast200years.Theshoddy/mungoprocessisbelievedtohaveoriginatedinBatley(WestYorkshire,UK)[Jubb, 1860],consequenceoftheworkofBenjaminLawaroundca.1813[Wikipedia GTM].Itstillrepresentsoneofthelongeststandingexamplesofpost-consumerproductrecyclinginthetextileindustry.Shortlyaftershoddywasintroduced,mungowasdevelopedasawayofincorporatingrecycledtailors’clippingsintothewoollenprocessingpipeline(cf.Figure1).

Intheearly20thcentury,Prato(nearFlorence,Italy)successfullymanagedtoestablishawoollenindustrybasedonrecoveredwool,subsequentlyexpandingitsoutputwhileotherareasinEuropecontracted.Inthisway,itgraduallytookoverYorkshire’sleadershiproleinthequalityandvarietyofgoodsthatcouldbemadefromrecoveredwoolblends[Rose, 2013].

InEurope,weareluckythatwithPratowehaveeveninthepresenttimeandageaglobalcentreforrecyclingofwoolatourproverbialdoorstep.Indeed,thereisnobetterplacetoobtaineffectiveandmeaningfulinsightsintothewoolrecyclingprocesses,thetechnologyandits valuechain.

Fortheremainder,thisdocumentbroadlycoversthefollowingareas:• Background:Terminologyandlegalsetting• Supplychainandproductionprocesses• Sustainabilitybenefitsandchallenges

Thefollowingaspectsarecurrentlyandexplicitlybeyondthescopeofthisdocument:• Comprehensivecoverageofbestavailable

techniques/technologiesateverystageofsourcingand/orprocessingofrecycledwool

• Acomprehensivecoverageofalllegislationthatappliestothesourcing,processing,trading (import,export)ofrecycledwool(althoughwecoversomeofit)

• Acomprehensiveandin-depthcoverageandcomparisonofcurrentlyavailable(proprietary,secondparty,thirdparty)certificationstandards

• Labourconditionsinfactoriesandallrelatedissues,challengesandtopics.

The sole aims of this report are to help the understanding of recycled wool’s backstory, and empower the designers and product managers to evaluate this material’s credentials. Thisreportisdesignedtooutlineandsummariserelevantinformation,whichmaybeusableandusefulforbrandsthatwanttoconsiderintegratingrecycledwoolintotheirmaterialsportfolio.Inshort,itisintendedtofosterthedialogueandrelationshipbuildingbetweenbrandsand therecycledwoolsupplychain.

1 These questions equally apply to cashmere as well as mohair, not only sheep wool. However, while production processes in principle are the same, or very similar, for all three fibers, the details in this report refer specifically to the use of recycled sheep wool only.

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1. Introduction

1.1 KeyQuestionstobeAddressedin thisReportAsthetitleofthisdocumentindicates,thecontentpresentedisa‘primer’torecycledwool.Itisassumedthatthereaderhasnotmuchmorethanconceptualknowledgeabouttheexistenceofrecycledwoolastextilematerial,yetisinterestedinunderstandingifandhowitmightadddiversitytothematerialportfolio.

Thequestionsthisdocumentthereforeisfocusedon, arethefollowing:

• Whatisrecycledwool?

• Howisitbeingprocessed?

• Whatareitsbenefits(andchallenges)fromasustainabilityandtraceabilitypointofview?

• Whatdoweknowaboutthescientificcredentials ofrecycledwool–suchasLCAanalyses-andwhere aretheregapsthatwillneedaddressingintheyears tocome?

Text Box 1: Relevant quantifications at a glance.

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BACKGROUND2. Inthelastfewdecades,theuseofrecycledwool,aswellaswoolnoils(cf.Chapter2.1Terminology),wasfirstandforemostanopportunityforEuropeanbusinessestoremaincompetitiveinaneconomicsense,specificallyinthelowerpricebracketschieflyofinteresttomultinationalsmorefamiliarwithsourcingfrom overseas for cost reasons.

Itisonlysincetheearly2010sthatincreasedfocusonthetextilesector’senvironmentalandsocialimpacts,togetherwiththeemergenceofcirculareconomy[Wikipedia CE] concepts,havetriggeredfreshattentiononvalueaddedprocessesandproductsthatcapitaliseon‘waste’asprimaryinputmaterial.Itishenceintherealmofthismorerecentdevelopmentthatrecycledwoolanditscredentialshavebeenrediscoveredandincreasinglyshowcasedinthepubliceye.

NUMBERSATAGLANCE:

Thisexceedssubstantiallytheestimated1.5%thatvirginwoolhas oftheworldmarket[WACR, 2013]

Ofthetotalamountofclothingdonatedforrecyclingbyconsumers,5%ofallclothingdonationsbyend-consumersarewool[Russell et al., 2016]

TheItaliandistrictofPratoaloneprocessesanapproximate22Miokgs[Cardato, 2015]ofpost-and pre-consumer‘primarytextilematerials’aswellassignificantamountsofnoils.

Inaddition,anymaterialnotsuitableforyarnandfabricproduction,andthereforeforapparelorinteriors,isfedintothemakingofproductssuchasmattresses,carupholsteryfillingsornon-wovenproductsofvarioustypes [Borgliotti, duk].

Woolremainsapopularandvaluablerecyclable:

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2. Background

Shearing

Fleece

Grading&Sorting

Scouring

Lanolin

VegetableMatter Suint/dirt WorstedProcessing

Carding

CardedWeb Gilling

Soldforavarietyofconsumerproducts

Pre-consumer waste

Mungo

Shoddy

Post-consumer waste

Woollenprocessing

Slubbings

Combing

Noil

Tops

DraftingSliverSpinning&Twisting

Yarn

FabricFormations

GarmentManufacture

Apparel

DraftWaste

2.1 TerminologyRecycledWoolWoolfibre,yarnorfabricproducedfromrawmaterialthatstemsfrom post-productionorpost-consumerprimarywoollenmaterial.MungoFibrouswoollenmaterialgeneratedfromwastefabric,particularlytightlywovenclothsandrags.[Wikipedia GTM]

ShoddyRecycledorremanufacturedwool.Historicallygeneratedfromlooselywovenmaterials.[…].Shoddyisinferiortotheoriginalwool;"shoddy"hascometomean"ofpoorquality"ingeneral (notrelatedtoclothing),andtheoriginalmeaningislargelyobsolete. [Wikipedia GTM]

WoolNoils “Shortfibresremovedduringthecombingoftextilefibresandoftenseparatelyspunintoyarn.”[MW:Noil] (Eds.bytheauthors)Inthepresentcontext,fromwoolfleeces.Oftenstillcontainingvegetablematteratand fromitsorigin.

Pre-consumerMaterial (cf Figure 1) (also: post-production material): ‘Materialdivertedfromthewastestreamduringthemanufacturingprocess.Excludedisthereutilisationofmaterialssuchasrework,regrindorscrapgeneratedinaprocessandcapableofbeingreclaimedwithinthesameprocessthatgeneratedit.’ [TE RCS] Inthecontextofwool,post-industrialwoolprocessingwasteisroutinelyrecycledbackintothemanufacturingprocessflow.Thisisunlikepost-consumerwaste,alargeproportionofwhichmaybediscardedaswaste.

Post-consumerMaterial (cf Figure 1):“Materialgeneratedbyhouseholdsorbycommercial,industrial,andinstitutionalfacilitiesintheirroleasend-usersoftheproductthatcannolongerbeusedforitsintendedpurpose.Thisincludesreturnsofmaterialsfromthedistributionchain.”[TE RCS]

Figure 1: Simplified wool fibre processing steps showing recycling flows of post- industrial (pre-consumer) and post- consumer wastes (Source: [Russell et al., 2016])

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2. Background

2.2 LegalContext:TextileWaste& theLawEuropean Union:Atthetimeofwriting,thereisnospecificwastestreamfortextilesintheEUlegislationthatislegallyenforced[EU ENV].Thereishowever,areferencetotextilesintheWasteFrameworkDirective[EU Lex, 2008],whichiscurrentlyundergoingrevision.Thisdirectivecallsforthedevelopmentof‘EndofWaste’specificcriteria,also(butnotonly)fortextiles.Thisdevelopmenthasnotbeenundertakenyet[EC JRCCE].AsaconsequenceofthelackofEUwideapplicablecriteriafortextiles,eachindividualmemberstate’snationalrulesapply.

Therefore,oncethecurrentlyongoingrevisionoftheWasteFrameworkDirectiveisconcluded,itismostprobablethattheaboveoutlinedmandatoryseparatecollectionoftextiles(requiredtobeinplaceby2025)willbeaddressedattheEUlevel.Untilthen,textile-basedwasteisconsidered‘general’waste.

United Kingdom:Dutyofcareprovisionsinsection34oftheenvironmentalprotectionact[UK, 1990]stipulatesthatifanyorganisationsuchasacharity,localauthorityorbusinesspassessecond-handclothingwastetoatextilerecyclingmerchant,theymustensurethatthatmerchanthasthelegalauthoritytotakethewaste.Ineffectthismeans,thatthemerchantisamemberoftheTextileRecyclingAssociation,andholdscompulsoryemployer’sliabilityinsurance.[Osborn, 2012]

France:FranceistheonlyEuropeanmemberstatethathasimplementedalegalframeworkrelatedto‘EndProducerResponsibility’(EPR)oftextileproducers[France CE],aswellasregardingtakebackschemesofend-consumerproducts.[EcoTLC]listsallrelevantlegalprovisions.

Italy:Sincethebeginningof2017,post-productionandpost-consumertextilesareconsidered‘specialwaste’(‘rifutispeciali’),andnolonger‘urbanwaste’asbefore.Anysuchmaterialmustnowcomplywiththenewlegislativeframeworkontraceabilityandmanagement.Theconsequenceisthattransportandhandlingofsuch‘waste’canonlybedonebycompanieswiththerequiredlicense,andthatstringentdocumentationneedstobeprovidedalongthechain.[Altalex, 2017]

United States: Nospecificregulationapplies.Insteadlegalprovisionsareabsorbedinthe‘ResourceConservationandRecoveryAct’[RCRA, 1976].Theactinsistsuponspecificmethodsforthegeneration,storage,transport,treatmentanddisposalofhazardouswasteproducedduringmanufacturingoftextilesandclothing.[Osborn, 2012]

China: Insummer2017,theChinesegovernmentdecidedtobantheimportsofsolidwastedestinedforrecycling.Thedecisionrelatesto24materialsincludingplastic,paperandtextiles,equivalentto70%ofallwasteshippedtoChina.[GOSC, 2018; WTO, 2017]

2.2 PrimaryMaterialAvailability,Pricing &QualityWoolfibrerecyclateextractedfromknitwearremainsarelativelyvaluablerawmaterialbecauseofcompatibilitywithwoollenyarnmanufacturing.Accordingto[Russell et al., 2016],abaleofmixedcolourwoolsweatersinEuropewastradedataroundGBP350/tonne(35p/kg)inaround2016.Thiscomparedatthetimetoca.GBP87.5/tonne(8.75p/kg)forabaleofmixedsynthetics.

Thisishoweverasignificantdeclineinvaluewhencomparedtothe1990aswellasthemid-2000s(Table1).

Table 1: Rag Prices per Tonne, 1990 and 2005, quoted in GBP [Oakdene Hollins, 2006]

Salespricepertonne 1990 2005

RecyclingGrades Whitewipers £600 £200

Otherwipers £150 £50

Woolwipers £500 £300

Uni-colouracrylicknits

£220 £110

Fillingmaterials £100 £30

ClothingGrades Clothingforre-useAfrica

£1000 £900

Clothingforre-usePakistan

£220 £200

Thecommercialvalueofwoolwas(andremains)highlydependentonitshomogeneity(relativetoabenchmarkof100%woolofsimilarcolours),andthedegreetowhichfibrelengthcanbepreservedaftermechanicalrecycling.Additionalsortingofitemsintouniformcolourscanassistwithsubsequentdyeingprocesses.Sortingtoproducefinerdiameterwoolbatchescanfurtherhelptoyieldpremiumprices.Hence,asageneralruleofthumb,themoreuniformthecoloursarisingfromthesortingprocess,andthelongerthestaplelengthemergingfromthepullingprocess,thehighercommercialvalueofthefibre,aswellastheresultingproducts(yarn,fabric).Accordingto[Russell et al., 2016],theeconomicfeasibilityofwoolrecyclingheavilyfavourslargebatchprocessing(minimumof50tonnes).

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THE(CLOSEDLOOP)RECYCLING WOOL PROCESS

3.

Inthepresent,post-industrialwoolprocessingwasteisroutinelyrecycledbackintothemanufacturingprocessflow.However,thesamedoesnotholdtruewithregardstopost-consumermaterial,wherealargeproportionisdiscardedaswaste:Existingdatasuggestthatthemajorityofpost-consumeritemsarebeingsenttoincinerationorlandfill.Onlyabout25%inEurope [FoEE, 2013;EEA EIONET, 2018],andaround15%intheUS[Planet Aid, 2015]ofclothingitemsarechannelledintovariousrecyclingstreams.

Globally,thereremainsasmallnumberof‘recycledwool’hubs,examplesofwhicharePrato(Italy) [Van Delden, 2018], andPanipat(India) [Norries, 2012].

Figure 2: Mechanical recycling of wool textile garments based on open and closed loop recycling [Russell et al., 2016]

MechanicalRecycling

SpinningRoute Nonwoven Route

Thermalinsulation

Closedlooprecycling

Rawmaterial

Openlooprecycling

MINOR MAJOR

Acousticinsulation Mattresspadding

Retainfibrelength Shortfibrelength

Pullinggarmentsbackintorawfibers

Pre-consumeraswellaspost-consumertextilesaredelivered(sometimesinapre-sortedstate)tothesedistrictsfromallovertheworldtoberecycledintofibresforwovensandknits(closedloop),aswellasnonwovens(openloop).(cf.Figure2)

Intheremainderofthisdocumentwewillfocusontheclosed loop wool recycling processonly,whichisillustratedinfurtherdetailinFigure3.

Furtherdetailsonadditionalopenloopprocessescanbeconsulted(inItalian)in[Borgliotti, duk].

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Figure 3: (Closed Loop) Recycled wool production processTop row: post-consumer items are received pre-picked. They undergo at least two more picking stages in which they are colour sorted, and fibre-content checked, and then freed from any attached trims and labels. Middle row: Post-production material is undergoing at least one picking stage, in which the material is colour sorted and fibre content checked. Bottom (2) rows: Once the primary material is colour graded and sorted, it undergoes pulling, mixing to achieve specific colour shades (more rarely: overdyeing), and then follows through the traditional carding, spinning and weaving/knitting, (including finishing), and finally garmenting process as any fibre would.

Cuttingoftrims

Balesofitemsindifferentcolourshades

Balesofitemsindifferentcolourshades,readyfor

processing

Pulling

Balesofdiscardedwoolclothing(post-consumer),

arrivingfrompicker/recycler

Balesofdiscarded post-productionmaterial

(mostlywoven)

Balesofpulledfibresofdifferentcolours,readyforcarding

(Over)Dyeifneeded

Mixing:Determinecolourbymixingfibresinspecific

proportions

Fibremixreadyforcarding

Carding Spinning GarmentMaking

Knitting

Weaving

Sorting/checkingfor QualityColour

FibreContent

Sorting/checkingfor QualityColour

FibreContent

3. The (Closed Loop) Recycling Wool Process

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3.1 ProductioninPractice:APhoto StoryThefollowingsectionsexplainandillustratethetypicalprocessesofarecycledwoolsupplychain.

However, there is a word of caution to note at this moment:

OneofPrato’skeyopportunitiesmayalsobepotentiallyitsAchillesheel.

Whiletheprocesses,asexplainedinthisdocument,areillustratedasiftheywerecompleted‘in-house’byasinglecompanyfullyowningallrelevantprocesses(physicalandoperationalbusinessintegration),thisisbyfarnotthetypicalcase,neitherinPratonorelsewhere.

Themosttypicaloperationalcaseisthatofa‘supplychainmanagementhub’.Onecompany–typicallythefirmowningthedirectbrand(client)relationship-purchasestherequired‘rawmaterial’.Itsubsequentlycontractsouttheprocessingofsaidmaterialtoarangeofspecialistcompaniesinthedistrict(cf.Figure4),tocompletetherequiredstepsbasedonaserviceagreement.

Figure 4: A typical Prato supply chain for recycled wool, from bale delivery through to finished garment.

Onlyattheend,dependingontheclient’sordereitheratthegarmentstage(cf.Figure4)orthefabricsstage,the‘supplychainmanagementhub’takesbackphysicalownershipoftheorder,soastoensurecontractfulfilmentandsuitabledeliverytotheclient.

Thisstructure,whileeffectivefromaprocessingpointofview,doesoffertraceabilitychallenges:Specifically,inpeaktime,orinthecaseoftightmargins,sub-contractingmaypotentiallyhappenwithouttheorderingbrand,orpossiblyeventhe‘supplychainmanagementhub’,beingawareofit.

BaleDelivery

Brand

RawMaterial

Pulling

Carding

SupplyChainManagementHub'CompanyA'

Spinning

Weaving/Knitting

GarmentMaking

MaterialsFlow

PurchasingContract

PurchasingContract

FormalContractualRelationshipbasedonphysicalgoods

MaterialsFlow

FormalContractualRelationshipbasedonservicesrendered

Primary(lead)ContractualRelationship

Service Contracts

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3.1.1 IncomingMaterial'Rawmaterial”fortheclosedlooprecyclingcomesinasbalesfrompost-consumer(garment)traders,orfrom post-industrialprocesses(i.e.weavingtrims,leftoveryarns).Theyvaryingradeofsorting(colourandmaterialmix)anddegreeofpre-selectionandsorting(preparation).

Unsortedknittedgarment

Unsortedwovengarments

Sortedknittedgarment

Postproduction:weavingtrims

Sortedknittedgarment

Postproduction:leftoveryarns


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3.1.2 QualityControl&SortingSortingistothisdatepuremanualwork.Automatedsystems [e.g. Circle Economy, 2018]areindevelopmentbuthavenotyetbeenwidelyadopted.

Incomingmaterialissortedbycolourandby materialquality.

Knittedgarmentsortingfor materialcontent

Sortingofcutpieces

Knittedgarmentsortingforcolour

Cutpiecessortedbycolour

Coloursortingofwovens

Trimsandbuttonscutoffs

Alltrimsandforeignmaterialslikezippers,buttonsandlabelsarecutout.Dependingonthetypeofmaterialandtheorderswhichhavetobeprocessed,thematerialwillbecutintopiecesimmediately,orstoredtobeprocessedlater.

Forcriticalcoloursspecifically,samplesofallmaterialaretakenforchemicallabtestingtoavoidcontaminationthroughlegacychemicals(cf. Chapter 4.3).

3.1.3 PullingofKnittedMaterialKnittedgarmentslikepullovers,jumpersandjacketsaretypicallypulledinadryprocess.Theyarnsarepulledmechanicallyfromtheknittedstructure,alwaysmakingsurethattheresidualfibrelengthremainsaslongaspossible.Thematerialmightpassthepullingmachineseveraltimestokeepthequalityashighaspossible,byensuringthatallofthefabrichasbeenconvertedbackintofibres.

Knittedmaterialreadyforpulling After1stprocessplus'new'material Finishedpulledmaterial


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3.1.4 Wet-pullingProcessforWoven MaterialsWovenconstructionswillnormallybepulledthroughamechanicalwetprocesstogetausablefibrelength.Knittedmaterialmayalsoundergothisprocess,butwiththeabovedescribeddrypullingprocess,analternativeoptiondoesexistforthatcase.

Toeliminateforeignfibrecontent,thecutpiecesthenundergocarbonisation2.

3.1.5 LabRecipeDeterminingthecolourcompositionrecipeinlaboratoryconditionsistheprocessbywhichfibresofdifferentcoloursareblendedtoresultina‘new’colour.Thepurposeofthiseffortis,ideally,toavoiddyeingthe(recycled)fibresaltogether.Thebasematerialforthenewmaterialmixaretheexistingfibrelots,alreadypulledandcoloursorted.Leadtimesareinfluencedbyasupplier’sabilitytocoloursortandblendfibrebatches.Withtherightsetup,leadtimescanbeshortenedconsiderablybyavoiding(re-)dyeing(cf Chapter 4.4).

Mostsuppliershaveastandardcolourcard,fromwhichcustomerscanchoose.Ifamorespecificcolourisrequired,individualrecipesneedtobecreated.Usuallytheaimistopreventanyover-dyeingofalreadyexistingmaterial.

Inthelab,fibreblendingisfirstdoneusingalab-scalecardingmachine,whichsimulatestheoutcomeofthebulkprocess,producingacardedwebcontainingfibresofdifferentcolourstoproduceaparticularshade.Thecardingwillbedoneseveraltimestogetahomogeneousmix,whichallowsacolourcheckaccordingtothecustomers’mastersamplesandstandardlaboratory testingapproaches.

Wovenmaterialsreadyfor carbonisation

Startofwetpullingprocess ‘Fibresauce’during wet-pulling

2 "Sometimes scoured wool contains vegetable impurities that cannot be completely removed through mechanical operations and sulphuric acid is used for destroying these particles in a process called carbonising.” This is considered a best available technique in the textile industry. [Wiki ZE] Carbonisation can also be used to treat waste wool garments containing cotton or other cellulosic material. During the process, the cotton is chemically degraded, leaving the wool behind.

Itbecomesapparentthatitcouldbeconsideredan‘art’tofindtherightbalancebetweenmanyparameters:customers’colourexpectation,thequantityandqualityofavailablerawmaterial,andtheaimtouseasmuchrecycledwoolaspossible.

RecycledWool&Quality:Virginisneverfar

Itisimportanttonotethatitmaybedifficulttoachievespecificcolourshades,oryarn/fabricqualitycriteria,basedon100%recycledwool.

Asaconsequence,mostyarnsand/orfabricsmadefromrecycledwoolwillinvariablycontainsomepercentageofeithervirginwool,oralternativelyothervirginfibressuchascotton,polyester,nylonetc.

Thisfactisnotonlyrelevantintermsofproductquality,butwillinvariablyalsoinfluencehowmaterialscertificationandsupplychaintraceabilitywillneedto behandled.


Text Box 2: Virgin Fibres – a necessary ingredient in yarns and fabrics made from recycled wool.

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Overviewoffibresinstock

Startoffirstcardingprocess

Amixofwaterandsoapisaddedtoallowfelting

Howtheresultshouldlooklike

Fibresforblending

Startofsecondcardingprocess,theblendisturnedby90°

Sampleafterfelting

Howarecipecouldlooklike

Weighingoutfibresforblendinginthelab

Cardedwebafterthelastcardingprocess

Colourcontrolafterwashinganddryingthefeltedsample.Result:sampleisfartoolightincolour.

Standardcoloursavailable


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3.1.6 BlendingAfterdefininginthelaboratorytherecipeforanewlotoffibresbasedonrecycledmaterial,thefull-scalebulkblendingprocesscanstart.Thedefinedquantitiesbyweightofeachofthedifferentrecycledandvirginwoolmaterialsareblendedbyindividuallotinabigblendingbox,whichcontains200kgoffibreormore.

Overviewofinventoryforbulkblending

Blendedmaterialintheblendingbin

Blendingrecipe

Blendedfibres

Containerforblending(blendingbin)

Blendedfibres


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3.1.7 CardingTheblendedfibresarefurthermixed,disentangledandtransformedintoacardedweb.Woollencardingisdonebypassingfibresbetweenaseriesofrotatingtoothedrollersbeforeproducingaweboffibresthatiscondensedtoformarope-likestructure.Saidstructureistransportedviabeltsbeforebeinglaiddownatapproximately90°onthefeedsheetofasecondcardingmachine,whichfurtherintensivelymixesanddisentanglesthefibresbeforeproducingthefinalweb.

Attheend,thefinalwebisseparatedintoca.1cmwidestrands,whicharerubbedintoslubbingstoincreasetheirstrength,andthenwoundontopackagesreadyforthenextstage.

Blendedmaterialinarounddrum

Thewebiscondensedtogetherinto ca.20%ofitsoriginalwidth…

...andagainspreadingtheweb.

Cardingandspreadingthewebistypicallyrepeated2to3(ormore

times)beforeproceeding.

Blendedfibresatthebeginningofcardingprocess

…andthenlaiddownat90°onthefeedsheetofthesecond

cardingsection

Aftersplittingthefinalcardedwebintomultiplethinstrands,theyarerubbedbetweenoscillatingbeltstoincreasetheirstrength.Theserubbed

strandsarecalledslubbings.

Fibresspreadoutintheformofaweb

In-feedtothesecondcardingsection

Theslubbingsarethefinaloutputofthewoollencardingmachine.Theyare

woundontopackages.


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3.1.8 Spinningandtwistingto finishedyarnThelastprocessstepsforthespinningofyarnscontainingrecycledwoolfibre,isinprinciplethesameasitisforvirginfibre:Spinning,twisting,rewindingonbiggerbobbinsanddeliveryforweaving orknitting.

Yarnspinning(theslubbingsaretensionedtomakethemthinner

andtwisted).

Twistedyarn

YarnSpinning

Weaving

Colourmatchtomastersample

Knittedsample


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3.1.9 FinishedProductThetraceabilityofclosedlooprecycledwoollenmaterialstodayisonlypossiblebacktothesourceofcollectedpost-consumergarments.Thereisnoinformationavailableabouttheconditionofwoolharvestingoranimalwelfareoftheoriginalwoollenrawmaterial,andneitherwithregardstothe‘first-life’dyeingandfinishingprocesses.However,thesearecharacteristicswhichall post-consumerrecycledmaterialstodaystillhaveincommon,fornaturalfibresaswellasman-madesynthetics.

SuppliersinthePratoregionareabletosupplyyarns,wovenandknitfabricsandfinishedproducts,fromclosedlooprecycledsourceswithatraceabilitybacktothecollectingpoint.Thisisdocumentedandcertifiedaccordingto,forexample,theGlobalRecycledStandard [TE GRS] (furtherdetail:cfChapter4.2below).

Traceabilityfrom‘waste’baletofinishedfabric

Exampleofdeliverytimeofrecycledmaterial(5-11weeks,dependingonraw

materialavailableinstock)

Sampleloom

Barcodeonfabricroleforfulltraceability

Exampleofdeliverytimeofvirginmaterial(8weeksifrawmaterialis

notavailableinstock)

Sampleloom

Availablecoloursfromasupplier

CertifiedtoGlobalRecycledStandard[TE GRS]

Closingtheloop:theweavingtrimsbecomerawmaterialforthenextrecyclingprocess


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BENEFITS&CHALLENGESOF RECYCLED WOOL

4.

Theprocessofwoolrecyclingpresentsitsownbenefitsandchallenges.Thebenefitsseemonfirstsightevident–there-useofanexistingresourceatalowerenvironmentalandproductioncostthanseemstobethecasewhenusingvirginmaterial.

However,whileintuitionisoftenagoodpointofdepartureforfurtherintelligence,scientificevidencethatwouldprove–ordispel–intuitiveassumptionsareasofyetnotalwaysassuccinct,andinthepresentcaseratherhardtocomeby.

Inthischaptertherefore,weintendtosummarisethecurrentstate-of-playforthefollowingkeyareas:

• RecycledWool&LifeCycleAssessments:StatusQuo

• IntegrityandTraceability

• ChemicalManagement

• Leadtimes

4.1 RecycledWool&LifeCycle Assessment:StatusQuoFortheenvironmentalcredentialsofmaterialsandprocesses,thecurrentlycleanestapproachtoreceiveanswerswithregardstotheextentandtypeofimpacts,isviaLifeCycleAssessment(LCA)data.However,unfortunately,thereisnotahugeamountofdataavailableatthemomentwhenitcomestorecycledwool.

SomeLCAdataisownedbymanufacturersandisapplicabletotheirspecificprocessonly.Otherdata,suchastheoneelaboratedbytheUniversityofLeedsandtheIWTOforthePratodistrictasawhole,andpresentedattheoccasionoftheirHarrogatecongress[TV Prato, 2017],hasabroaderapproachbuttheresultshavenotyetbeenwidelycirculated.MoregenericLCA-basedresearchintorecycledwooliscurrentlybeingundertakenandisplannedtobepublishedinscientificjournalsinthecourseof2018and2019[Russell et al., 2017].Lastly,forsomespecificLCAdimensions,suchas,forexample,eutrophication, eco-toxicityorhumantoxicity,theredoesnotcurrentlyexistyetanagreedscientificconsensuson(asmallnumberof)method(s).Therefore,suchdimensionsremaindifficult,ifnotimpossible,toassessbeyondqualitativemeasures.

Thisallsaid,giventhedataavailableatthispointoftime,itlooksasiftheuseofrecycledwoolmayoffersubstantialenvironmentalgains(cf.sampleinTable2)overtheuseofvirginwoolacrossallrelevantandcurrentlymeasurableLCAcategories.Itremainstobeseenhowthisthenwouldcomparetootherfibresinatypicalcradle-to-gateLCAassessmentaswellasinincreasinglypursuedcradle-to-graveLCAassessments3,specificallyalsoincomparisontootherwidelyavailablerecycledfibretypessuchaspolyesterorcotton.

Whenlookingatatypical/genericclosed-loopwoolrecyclingprocess(showninFigure2andFigure3),itbecomesapparentthatvirginandrecycledprocessesaresimilar/identicalfromtheyarnspinningstageonwards.ItcanthereforebeassumedthatwhenlookingatLCAimpactanalyses,thesubstantiveimpactgainsforrecycledwoolwouldbecomemanifestpriortospinning,whilethelaterstageswouldresultinsameorverysimilardatapointsforbothrecycledaswellasvirginwool.

3 There is no current agreement on a LCA approach for the usage phase [Cheah, 2013]. Therefore, we do not mentioned this topic further in this document.

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Table 2: LCA-based advantage of recycled over virgin wool, according to [PrimaQ, 2015]

ThefollowingtablepresentsasetofindicatoryLCAdata,currentlyknownandavailabletotheauthorsofthisreport:

RecycledWool[Øallprocesses]

VirginWool[Øallprocesses]

ImprovementbyFactor

GlobalWarmingPotential(GWP100) 0.76 18,57 24

OzoneDepletion 6,56E-08 3,68E-07 5.6

AbioticDepletion–MineralFossils 5,90E-03 2,42E-02 4.1

NaturalLandTransformation 1,11E-04 8,48E-04 7.64

HumanToxicity–Cancer 4,22E-11 2,49E-06 Huge(>50’000)

HumanToxicity–Non-cancer 4,45E-11 9,28E-07 Huge(>20’000)

FreshwaterEco-toxicity 6,16E+00 2,99E+01 4.8

Particulate/SmogCausedbyEmissionsofInorganicsSubstance

6,10E-04 2,81E-02 46

IonisingRadiation,HumanHealth 5,80E-02 4,18E-01 7.2

PhotochemicalOzoneFormation 2,46E-03 2,92E-02 11.9

Eutrophication-Terrestrial 1,07E-03 1,75E-01 163.5

FreshwaterEutrophication 1,20E-04 6,74E-03 56.2

MarineEutrophication 1,11E-04 1,11E-04 1(identical)

WaterDepletion 2,62E-02 2,38E-01 9.1

Acidification 2,50E-01 2,00E+01 80

CumulativeEnergyDemand 1,18E+01 4,89E+01 4.1

However,thefollowingpointsneedtobetakenintoconsiderationwhenassessingcurrentlyindicatoryLCAresultssuchastheonesillustratedinTable2above:

• CurrentlyappliedLCAmethodologiesdonottypicallyconsidertheusagephaseofagarmentanddonottakeintoaccountthepotentiallysubstantialdifferencesthatmayexistbetweendifferenttypesofgarmentsintermsoftheirmodesofuse,washingfrequencyorservicelife.Thisisafrequentpointofcontentionbetweendifferentplayersintheapparelandrelatedrawmaterialfield.

Atthetimeofwritingofthisreport,itmaybesaidthatthereisagreementacrosstheboardthattheusagephaseanditslengthhavea(probablysignificant)impactontheresultsofLCAstudies.

However,thereissofarlittlescientificagreementonwhattypeofgarmentsoringredientfibre,wouldbenefitorlosemostiftheusagephasewouldindeedbecoveredbyLCAs.[Van der Helden et al., 2014; IWTO, 2016]

• CurrentlyappliedLCAmethodologiesassumeaone-directionalcradle-to-gravedirectionintheproduct’slifecycle.Circulareconomyaspectsarechallengingtobeconsideredadequatelyinthecurrentmethodologies–anissueofparticularrelevancewhenitcomestorecyclatebeingtherawmaterialforanewlyproducedfinishedproduct[Pré, 2018].

• Continuingfromtheabove,currentcalculationsandproceduralanalysistypicallyassumethattheinputmaterialtotheprocessofgeneratingrecycledtextilefibres,is‘free’intermsofenvironmentalimpact.Thequestionstillremainsifindeedsuchfibreshould,ornot,beallocatedafractionoftheoriginal(virgin)fibre’simpact,andifsofollowingwhatmethodology.[Russell et al., 2017]

4. Benefits & Challenges of Recycled Wool

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Itcannotbeignoredthatrecycledwoolisamaterialthatalreadyinthepasthasbeenused,inundeclaredquantities,intheproductionofwoolyarns–inordertoreducethepricepointoftheyarn,whilekeeping‘just’withinthequalityspecificationdemandedbycustomers.Therefore,thismeansthattheenvironmentalperformanceinparticularoflowergradeknitsandwovensmayhave‘inadvertently’(andtoanextentaccidentally)beensomewhatbetterinthepastalready,thancurrentLCAresultsmaysuggest.

Inconclusion,itcanbesaidthattheLCAdataforrecycledwoolthatiscurrentlypubliclyorsemi-publiclyavailable[TV Prato, 2017; PrimaQ, 2015] indicatesthatthebenefitsintermsofenvironmentalimpactofusingrecycledratherthanvirginwoolmaybesignificant.

However,thereremainssomemethodologicalandresearchworktobedoneinordertoobtainreliable,replicableandvaliddatatoreallycomparerecycled andvirginonanapple-to-applebasis.

4.2 Integrity&TraceabilityTherightleveloftransparencyisthekeyingredientforclaimsaboutandinsightsintotheintegrityofanyproduct,includingforproductsmadefrom(virginorrecycled)wool.Inotherwords,provablyhonestclaimsofingredientqualityandoriginarecrucialtogainthecustomers’(bothB2BandB2C)trust.

Inrecycledrawmaterials,thisquestionneedsalsotobeunderstoodinabroadercontext:

• Forone,thereexistdifferenttypesofrecycledinputmaterials(cf. Section 2.1 Terminology);pre-andpost-industrial,post-consumercontent

• Additionally,theamountandtypeofvirginfibretypicallyneededforqualityreasons(Text Box 2),furtherdefinesthetraceability/chain-of-custodyapproachtobefollowed.

Buthowfarcantraceabilitybepushedforthecaseofeitherrecycledwool(frompre-orpost-consumermaterials)orwoolnoilsasprimaryinputmaterial?

Forthatpurpose,itisofutmostrelevancetobefullyawareof,andeducatedabout,theparametersthatdefinetraceabilityoptions,inthepresent,butalsothepotentialtheyoffergoingforward.

PrimaryMaterialType PossibleTraceabilityOrigin Rationale

Pre-consumer (post-production)

• Always:Factorywherethepre-consumermaterialoriginatesfrom

• Potential:Farm(viaChainofCustody)

• Thedirectcommercial,andthereforeknown,relationshipiswiththetier 1supplier.

• Potentialtotrackbackfromthereusingnewtechnologies[Wallace, 2009],orwithmoreeffortusingstate-of-the-artChainofCustodymechanisms.

Post-consumer • Always:ClothingPickingCompany

• Potential:Collectionpointwhereend-consumersdepositthegarments(viaChainofCustody)

• Thedirectcommercial,andthereforeknown,relationshipiswherethefibremanufacturerprocurestheinputmaterial.

• Potentialtotrackbackfromthereusingnewtechnologies[Wallace, 2009].

Noils • Always:Trader

• Potential:Farm(viaChainofCustody)thevirginwooloriginatedfrom

• Noilsaretypicallytradedbyagents/traders,withwhomthecommercialrelationshiplies.

• ChainofCustodyofferstheopportunitytotracebackfromtheretotheoriginsofthefleeces(hencefarm)thenoilsstemfrom.

Table 3: How far can different types of wool waste be traced back in the present (now, realistically), and in the future (potential)?


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Increasingly,certificationsandstandardsareusedastoolstosupporttraceabilityclaimsandsupplychainefforts.Whilethereexistsawiderangeofstandardstocertifygenericrecycledmaterial,Table4summarisesthe(inPrato)mostoftenencounteredproductlabelsinthecontextofrecycledwool.

GlobalRecycledStandard[TE GRS]

RecycledClaimStandard [TE RCS]

CardatoRecycled[ Cardato, 2015b]

ISOEcolabelType [ISO, 2018]

TypeI TypeI TypeIII

ISOEcolabelTypeDescription [GEN, 2018]

Voluntary,multiple-criteriabased,thirdpartyprogrammethatawardsalicensethatauthorisestheuseofenvironmentallabelsonproducts,indicatingoverallenvironmentalpreferabilityofaproductwithinaparticularproductcategory,basedonlifecycleconsiderations

Voluntaryprogrammesthatprovidequantifiedenvironmentaldataofaproduct,underpre-setcategoriesofparameterssetbyaqualifiedthirdpartyandbasedonlifecycleassessment,andverifiedbythatoranotherqualifiedthirdparty.

Traceability/ Chain-of-Custody

ContentClaimStandard[TE CCS]

Chainofcustodysystemfromthesourcetothefinalproduct,certifiedbyanaccreditedthird-partyCertificationBody

• Notonongoingbasis• Self-declareddisclosure

ofsupplychainpartners,specifictothetimeoftheenvironmentalimpactaudit

EnvironmentalManagementRequirements

• EnvironmentalManagementSystem

• ChemicalManagementSystem• WastewaterManagement

RequirementtoMeasure:• EnergyUse• WaterUse• Wastewater/effluent• EmissiontoAir

[TE GRS],pp.26

N/A GeneralSystemsManagementCertification(e.g.ISO9001)foratleast5years.

Measurementofenvironmentalimpactalongentireproductioncycletakingof:

• Water• Energy• CO2consumption

ChemicalManagementRequirements

• Substanceexclusionlist• ZDHCMRSLv.1.1

[ZDHC 2015; 2017]

[TE GRS],pp.32

N/A

Social&LabourRequirements

• CodeofConduct/Policy• Specificrequirementsfor:

Forced,bonded,indenturedandprisonlabour

• ChildLabour• FreedomofAssociation,

CollectiveBargaining• Discrimination,Harassment,

Abuse• Health&Safety• Wages,Benefits,Termsof

Employment,WorkingHours

N/A

Table continues on the next pageTable 4: Comparison: Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), Cardato Recycled


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GlobalRecycled Standard [TE GRS]

RecycledClaimStandard [TE RCS]

CardatoRecycled[ Cardato, 2015b]

ProductClaims, LogoUse

• GRSwith%indication:50%-95%RecycledContent

• GRS(no%indication):95%to100%RecycledContent.

[GRS/RCS, 2017],pp.29

• RCSBlended:5%-95%RecycledContent

• RCS100:95%-100%RecycledContent

[GRS/RCS, 2017],page16

CardatoRecycled:• 65%-100%Recycled

Content

• ExclusivelyProducedin PratoDistrict

Labels/Trademarks

Table 4: Comparison: Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), Cardato Recycled

AnincreasingnumberofPrato-basedmanufacturersfollowwiththeGlobalRecycleStandard(GRS)[TE GRS] certificationarecognisedandavailable‘bestpractice’approach.Theyhavethoroughlyanalysedandunderstoodtherelatedtraceabilityprerequisites,processesandinvestments,andcanproveit.

Yet,whilethewillingnessofmanufacturerstocertifyisincreasing,thepull-demandfrombrandsforcertifiedrecycledwoolseemstobelessevident.

Infact,unfortunately,manybrandsseemtobesatisfiedwithsuperficialorself-declared‘recycled’credentials,whichreducessomewhatthemeaningofthoroughcredentialssuchastheGRS.However,since‘recycledlight’materialisnotbasedonasuitablestringentverification(i.e.certification)process,saidbrandsexpectthematerial’spricepointtobelowerthantheoneofproperlycertifiedmaterial,andhencemorebeneficialtotheirowncoststructure.

Traceability(aswellasChainofCustody)currentlybecomesimpractical,forcommercialorscalingreasons,ifthematerialbeingtracedisnothingmorethanacommodity,andnoaddedvalue(monetaryorother)isgeneratedasaconsequenceofthetraceabilityoption.

Insummary,itcanbesaidthatcertificationandtraceabilitysystemsbecomeofrelevanceonceeitherabusinesscaseexiststhatjustifiesseparatingspecificbatchesofmaterialsfromthegeneralcommoditymarket(e.g.forallergyavoidancepurpose),orifisofimportancethatsuchbatchesguaranteecredentialsthatthegeneralcommoditymarketcannotguarantee(asitthecasewithwoolintermsofanimalwelfareand/orenvironmentalimpacts).

Whenitcomestorecycledwool,traceability/certificationisanecessaryduediligencemechanismforidentifyingandlabellingthefinishedproductas‘madefromrecycledmaterials’,andthereforecomplywithconsumerlawrequirementsontheonehand,aswellastransparencydemandsfromconsumerorganisations.

AnimalWelfareConcernsandRecycledWool

AsoutlinedinTable4above,andalsoinText Box 2,thereistypically(onecouldsayalways)apercentageofvirginwoolmixedinwithrecycledwool(ofboth,post-consumeraswellaspost-productionorigin).

Thereasonfordoingso:productqualitymanagement.

Itisonlybyaddingacertainpercentageofvirginfibrethatproductqualitiessuchasyarnstrengthorabrasionresistancecanbesuitablycontrolledandguaranteed.

Noils–wastefromthecombingstage-areaninterestingandchallenginghybrid:

• Ontheonehanditisclearlyawoolproductionwasteproduct(post-productionwaste)

• Atthesametime,itisalso‘virgin’wool,i.e.withdirectconnectionstotheoriginal(virgin)sheepfleece.

Theuseofvirginwoolofsomeorigin,mixedinwithpredominantlyrecycledwoolforqualityreasons,bringsaratherunexpectedchallengetotheforefront,andindeedonethatwedidnotintendtofocusonwiththisreport:Animalwelfare.

Itiswidelyknownthatmanymajorend-consumerfacingbrandshavehugeanimalwelfareconcernswhenitcomestotheuseofvirginwool(e.g.[H&M Animal Welfare]).

Withoutgoingintofurtherdetail,andforthepurposeofthisreport,weproposethatthemoststraightforwardwayisthatanyvirginmaterialbestbecertifiedagainsttheResponsibleWoolStandard[TE RWS]oranequivalentapproach.


Text Box 3: Animal Welfare Concerns and Recycled Wool

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4.3 ChemicalManagementChemicalManagementhasbecomeakeyconcernforthetextileindustryatlarge.Insyncwithlegislativeefforts,globallyoperatingbrandsandcivilsocietyareworkingtowardsthechallenginggoalofrollingoutchemicalmanagementbestpracticeswithintheirsphereofinfluence.

Therefore,itisamatterofcoursethatrelevantquestionsarealsobeingaskedtothemanufacturersoffabricsandyarnsmadefromrecycledcontent[ChemSec, 2018],beitfromcotton,polyester,orasinourcase,recycledwool.ThisdevelopmentisalsoreflectedintherequirementssetoutintheGlobalRecycledStandard(Table4above,aswellas [TE GRS]).

Someissuesrelatetomoregeneralchemicalmanagementaspects,examplesofwhichwouldbe:Thepresenceorabsenceofproperwastewatermanagementsystemsatfacilities.Theremainderofthischapterwilladdressthekeyissuesrelatedspecificallytorecycledwool.

Inthiscontext,theleadquestionswewouldliketoaddressarethefollowing:

1. Whatisthe(chemicalmanagement)statusofprimary(input)materialsgoingintotheprocess?Aretheredifferencesbetweenpost-productionandpost-consumerprimarymaterials?

2. Whatarethemostimportant(known)chemicalmanagementrisksthatoriginateintheprimarymaterial?

3. Whatarethestate-of-the-artchemicalmanagementprocesses(dyehouses,washingandfinishingfacilities)forrecycledwool?

4. Whatarethemostimportantbenefitsthattheuseofrecycledprimarymaterialhasinthecontextofchemicalmanagement?

Status of primary input materialAsexplainedabove(cf.Figure4),thereexist,fundamentally,twomainsourcesofprimaryinputmaterial,eachofwhichentailsadifferentriskprofileaswellasrelatedremediationoptions:

• Post-productionmaterial,mostfrequentlyfromweavingmills,butnotonly,andtypicallylocatedinItalyand(inthepresent)toalesserextentelsewhereinEurope.Thismaterialismostly‘young’,asitisaleftover-productfromcurrentorsoontobereleasedfabriccollections/productionruns.Asaconsequence,credentialsofchemicalingredientscouldinprincipleberesearchedandinquiredattheoriginalproductionfacility.

– Remediationapproach: Aduediligenceprocessisrequired–eitherembeddedinthebuyingprocessofthematerialorthereafter–withtheintentionofobtainingrelevantinformationdirectlyfromthesupplyingfactory.Governinglawandchemicalmanagementguidelinescanbeappliedtosuchasupplier,andthereforetheinputmaterial.

Thismeansthatthesubsequentrecyclingprocessnormallywouldcomply,andbeinline,withmodernprerequisitesandpractices.

• Post-consumermaterial,mostfrequentlygarments.Typicallyoriginatingfromwesternconsumermarkets,althoughpickingservicesmaytakeplaceglobally,andhenceshipmentsmayarrivefromasdiversegeographiesastheUnitedKingdom,Scandinavia,IndiaorPakistan.Thismaterialmaybeveryoldorveryrecent.Itis,typically,nearlyimpossibletosaywhen(orwhereandhow),anyonegarmentcontainedinabaleofprimarymaterial,wasproduced.Asaconsequence,nostatementcanbemadeaboutchemicalingredientscontainedinabaleofprimarymaterial.

– Remediationapproach: A‘worstcasescenario’approachisrequired. Thereisabsolutelynopriorinformationastowhattypeofprocessesthismaterialhasundergoneinitsfirstlife,andneitherduringanyofthesubsequentprocessingphases(picking,shipping).Suchmaterialisnormallycompiledofanarbitrarymixofgoodsthathavebeenproducedinthepast,andtheoriginalproductiontimerangecancoverseveraldecadesfromthemostrecenttotheoldestproductcontainedinasingleshipping.Asaconsequence,itmustbeassumedthatattheveryleastsomeofthematerialwouldcontainchemicalcomponentsthatinthecurrenttimeandagearenolongeracceptable,andwouldbebannedbygoverninglegislation.

Itisthereforeherethatthehighestriskexiststhatlegacychemicalscouldimpactproductionprocessesandeventuallycausetheresultingendproductstobenon-compliantwithmodernstandards.


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What chemicals may be present in primary raw material for recycled wool?

Overthelastdecades,scienceandregulationhaveincreasedpressuretofadeoutchemicalsofconcern.

Post-consumermaterialrequiresparticularscrutinyasitsoriginsareentirelyunknown.Inthecaseofpost-productionmaterial,theriskdependsvastlyonthelocationoftheproducingfacility:whereasinEuropeREACHregulationhasruledoutmanyhazardoussubstances,overseasfacilitieswouldrequireacase-by-caseapproachtounderstandtheirindividualapproach tomodernchemicalmanagementpractices.

4 We would however like to underline that this table does not exclude other regulated substances of concern potentially being present.

Theprobabilitythathazardouschemicalsorchemicalsofconcernmaybefoundintheprimarymaterialofrecycledwoolisfirstandforemostaconsequenceoftherespectivechemistriesbeingusedinthematerial’sfirstlife (post-farm,i.e.inproduction).

Table5hereafteroutlinesthechemicalclassesthatmostlikelycouldbeencounteredinthewoolproductionprocesspost-farm,andindicatesthepotentialimplicationsforthewool’ssecond+life4 .

Group Use ProbabilityofVirginWool’sexposure (postfarm)[probability]

ProbabilityofPresenceinPrimaryRawmaterialofrecycledwool

AlkylphenolsAPEOs (~90%areNPEOs) [REACH 46;46a]

Detergents Widespreadinthepast.BannedinREACH

Inthepresentbeingreplacedthroughalternatives.(+)

• EuropeanPost-production: LowduetoREACH

• Overseaspost-production: Facilitydependent

• Post-Consumer: LowtoMedium,dependingonageofinputmaterial

Phthalates [REACH 51;52]

Plastics Low Low

Br/Clflameretardants FRplastics Low Low

Azocompounds [REACH 43]

Dyes Low Low

Organotins Anti-bacterialfinishes

Low Low

Perfluorines Stainrepellents • Mediuminthepast.• Non-criticalforwool.• Inpresentbeingreplaced

throughnon-fluorinatedalternatives.(+)

Low

Chlorobenzenes Dye&pesticidemanufacture

• Lowtomedium.• Usageinpresentdecreasing(+)

Low

Chlorinatedsolvents Dry-cleaningandspotcleaningfluids

• Widespread • Post-production:Widespread

• Post-Consumer:Lowtomedium(duetowashingduringusephase)

Chlorophenols Pesticides Low Low

Table continues on the next pageTable 5: Typical Chemistries used in the wool’s first and 2nd+ life are summarised in the above table. Column 1 to 3 [Duffield, 2012] unless otherwise indicated; amendments (+) thanks to [Kettlewell, 2017]; Column 4 and legislative cross-reference by the authors.


26

Group Use ProbabilityofVirginWool’sexposure (postfarm)[probability]

ProbabilityofPresenceinPrimaryRawmaterialofrecycledwool

Chlorinatedparaffins Plasticisers Low Low

Heavymetals(Cdetc.)BannedinREACH

Mordantsfordyes(metalcomplex)

• Widespreadinthepast,• Mostlyreplacedbyreactive

dyesinthepresent(+).

• EuropeanPost-production:lowduetocurrentlyvalidREACHregulation

• Overseaspost-production:Facilitydependent.

• Post-Consumer:Mediumtohigh

(+)AdsorbableorganichalidesAOX

(+)‘Super-wash’ • (+)Medium• Appliedtowoolintendedfor

machinewashing.

• Post-production:Low–treatmenttypicallyappliedtowoollensatfinishingstageonly

• Post-consumer:LowtoMedium-typicallywashesoutinusagephase.

Table 5: Typical Chemistries used in the wool’s first and 2nd+ life are summarised in the above table. Column 1 to 3 [Duffield, 2012] unless otherwise indicated; amendments (+) thanks to [Kettlewell, 2017]; Column 4 and legislative cross-reference by the authors.

Chemical Management Approach in Dyeing, Washing and Finishing of Recycled WoolForrecycledwool,therearetwokeyapproachestohowthefinalcolourshadecanbeachieved.Eachofthesehasadirectimpactonthechemicalmanagementprocessandoptionsavailable:

• Overdyeing: Normallydoneatfibrestage.Primarymaterialofthesamecolourfamilyisoverdyedsoastoachieveasame,uniformcolourshade. Typically,theoverdyedshadeisofadarkerhuethantheaverageofthedepartingshade.Example:variousblueshadesareoverdyedwithadarkerblueshade,oravarietyofcoloursisoverdyedindeepblack. – Theresponsibilityfor(legal)complianceandtheremediationofpotentiallypresentlegacychemicalsishandedovertothedyehouse.Itisthedyehousethatisexpectedtomanagetheminthecourseofthedyeing,andpotentiallyin-housefinishing,processes.

• Colour matching-and-mixing: ,Departingfromfibrelotsofdifferentcoloursandshadesthatareinstock,arecipeiscreatedinordertoachieveavisuallyuniformcolourshadeacrossthebatch.Bymixingdifferentcoloursinpre-determinedproportions,theaimed-forshadeisachieved(cfFigure3,‘mixing’).

Whileinthefinalresultthereremain,atamicroscopiclevel,individualfibresofthedeparturecolours,thebatchasawholematchesthetargetcolour.

Example:Darkbluefibreplusapercentageofwhitefibremixed,resultsinapalerblueshade. – Theresponsibilityfor(legal)complianceandremediationofpotentiallypresentlegacychemicalsisassociatedwiththedirecthandlingofthefibre.Remediationoptionsincludewashing,mixing(withmaterialsthatareguaranteedtobecompliant),andlastlythefinishingprocesses.


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Table6hereafteroutlinesthemostprominentrisksandbenefitsofthesetwoapproachestocolourmanagementinrecycledwool.

Table 6: Comparison and overview: Chemical Management risk and benefits for Overdye process vs Mixing process

WOverdyeing W/OOverdyeing(Mixing)

ChemMgtBenefits ChemMgtRisks ChemMgtBenefits ChemMgtRisks

Post-Production

PrimaryMaterial

Chemicalpointofdepartureingredientscanberesearchedquiteaccuratelyasrecentproductionbatches.

Presentdayfinishinganddyeingchemicals

Interactionwithexistingchemicalscontainedinmaterial

Chemicalpointofdepartureingredientscanberesearchedquiteaccuratelyasrecentproductionbatches

Noadditionalnewdyechemicals

Presentdayfinishingchemicals

Post-Consumer

PrimaryMaterial

Dyesappliedareknown,asaretheircompliancerisksandrelatedthresholds.

Legacyingredientsfromdyesandfinishes.

Presentdayfinishinganddyeingchemicals

Interactionwithexistingchemicalscontainedinmaterial

Noadditionalnewdyechemicals

Legacyingredientsfromdyesandfinishes

Presentdayfinishingchemicals

Atthefinishingstage,processingofrecycledwooldifferslittlefromthatofvirginwool:

Finishesthatmaypotentiallybeapplied–dependingoncustomerrequirements–andthatmightintroducechemicalmanagementchallengesmayincludee.g.waterandstainrepellencycharacteristics(cfTable1).

RSL Compliance of products made from recycled woolModernstate-of-the-artprocessorsofrecycledwool,allacrosstheproductionchainare(orshould)beawareofREACHandsimilarlegalrequirementsapplicabletoend-consumerproducts.

Asaconsequence,andpreciselyasaresultofthelegacychemicalschallengethatthesemanufacturersface,itwouldbeconsiderednormaltohaveastringenttestingregimeinplace.

Therefore,expertsconsideritgoodpracticethatatthepointofhandovertothecustomer–whetheritisatfibre,yarnorfabricstage–thecorrespondingthird-partylaboratorytestresultsareprovidedtoavoidunwelcomesurprises.

Inaddition,[Kettlewell, 2017]suggestsrequiringÖkotex100orequivalentcompliancetobeinplace.Inthisway,thetestingensuresanapproachthatgoesbeyondmereregulatorycomplianceontheonehand,whileatthesametimetestingforthepresenceofsubstancesconsidered‘ofconcern’inbestpracticetermsisalsocompleted.

4.4 LeadtimesLeadtimes,asfoundinlocallyandverticallyintegrateddistrictssuchasPratoinItaly,areintheglobalcontextverycompetitive,whichistheresultoftwoprincipalfactors:Theflexibilityoftherecycledwoolindustryoverall(andthePratooneinparticular);andtheadvantagesofferedbyusingthistypeofrawmaterialwhichisinthispresentmomentfairlyreadilyavailable.

Leadtimesforpurelyrecycledfibremaybearoundseventoeightweeks–thetimeneededforthefibretobeprocessedfromprimaryrawmaterial(e.g.jumpers)intofabric(cf.Table7).

However,incaseswherenoils(combingwaste)areusedasprimarymaterial,itispossibleforgreigefabrictobeproducedaheadoftime,stocked,andlaterpiecedyed.Thisprocedureallowsfora(partial)decouplingofproductionleadtimesandcustomerdemand/ordercycles.Insuchcases,theleadtimesfromcustomerordertodeliverymaybereducedsignificantlyandcanbeaslowastwotothreeweeks-merelythetimeneededfordyeingandfinishing-infunctionofthebacklogatthedyehouse(cf.Table8).


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Approximate:UsedWoolLeadtime

3weeksfor Productionofrawmaterialfibre (sorting,pulling,blending–assumingcoloursarenot‘special’)

1weekfor Spinning(yarncounts,colourblends)

2weeksfor Weaving

2weeksfor Finishing

TOTAL:7to8weeks Important: dyeing not included, assumes fibres can be mixed from recycled wool colour palette

Approximate:LeadtimewithNoilsasrawmaterials

1weeksfor ObtainingInputMaterial

1weekfor Spinning(yarncounts,colourblends)

2weeksfor Weaving

4weeksfor DyeingandFinishing

TOTAL:app.8weeks Important: As greige material typically is stocked by suppliers, the leadtimes can in fact be reduced to about three weeks.

Table 7: Typical leadtimes for fabrics made from recycled wool (pre- and post–consumer). Data courtesy of [NovaFides, 2017].

Table 8: Typical leadtimes for piece dye fabrics when produced from noils from scratch. Data courtesy of [NovaFides, 2017]


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SUMMARYANDCONCLUSION5. Withtheever-growingrelevanceofsustainabilityforbrands’materialschoices,recycledwooloffersadoubleadvantagetomaterialportfoliosbycombiningenvironmentalbenefitswiththeoptionforEuropeannear-shorequalityproductionataffordablecost.Hence,recycledwoolnowcomestobearinitsownright.

LargeinternationalbuyerssuchasInditex[Fashionista, 2016],M&S[Telegraph, 2011; Edie, 2017],orH&M [H&M Materials]arenottheonlyonestohaverecognisedthisopportunity,andareactivelyinvestigatingwhereandhowtobestmakeuseofsuchanopportunityinscale–includingpossiblyexpandingitbyclosingtheloopintheirownproductportfoliointhefuture [Guardian 2017].

Intuitively,recycledwoolcouldoffermanyadvantages:Reducingenvironmentalimpactaswellasmakinggooduseofexisting‘waste’material,soastoworktowards‘closingtheloop’.Whatcouldbeseenthroughoutthisreportis,thatthereisasignificantamountofskillandexpertiserequiredinordertotrulyleveragethematerial’spotentialandoptimiseitsproductvalueonceitentersitssecond(recycled)life.

Forbrandsopentoexperimentationandstrongininnovation,itisaperfecttimetolookintohowthismaterialcanbeusedsuitably,effectively,andwiththedesiredoutcomes,bothenvironmentallyaswellasfromaproductperspective.

Acknowledgement:Theauthors,theEuropeanOutdoorGroupandGreenroomVoice,wouldliketoexpresstheirgratitudetothemanyindividualsandorganisations,bothinPratoandaroundtheworld,whohavesowarmlysharedtheirtimeandexpertisetowardsthecontentofthisdocument.

Wewouldliketoextendourspecialthankstothefollowingindividualsandorganisations:

• DalenaWhiteandPierrecarloZedda,InternationalWoolTradeOrganisation

• SteveRussell,UniversityofLeeds

• RoyKettlewell,KettlewellConsulting

• StefanoPalloni,PalloniConsulting

• Sauro Guerri,ProgettoLana

• FrancescoScatragli,ProgettoLana&Classicsrl

• FabrizioTesi,COM.I.STRA

• NicholasAllen,Patagonia

• ClaudioCalabrese,NovaFides

Itisthankstothemthatwecouldventuretoputthisdocumenttogetheratall.

30

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AboutthisreportThisdocumentistheresultofaresearchtriptotheItaliancityofPrato–oneofthefewcentresintheworldwithstrongexpertiseintheopenandclosedlooprecyclingofwool.

Inthepasttwoyearsorso,theinterestinwoolhasgrownagainacrossthetextileindustry.Atthesametime,sustainabilityrelateddiscussionshavetakenplaceatamuchstrongerandmoresophisticatedlevelthaneverbefore,coveringtopicssuchasanimalwelfare,environmentalandsocialimpactissues.Workdoneinthisareaonbehalfofend-consumerbrands,suchasthedevelopmentoftheResponsibleWoolStandard(RWS),whichfocusesonthetraceabilityofvirginwool,havefurtherfosteredandstrengthenedthediscussion.

Unlikemanyothertextilefibres,usedwoolclothinghaslongbeencompatiblewithbothopenloopandclosedlooprecyclingprocesses,andcommerciallyexploitedasarawmaterialforatleasttwohundredyears.

Thequestionsthathavebeenworkedonformaterialssuchascotton,polyester,nylonandevendownarenowbeingaskedalsoforwool:isrecycled,ratherthanvirginwool,aviableanddesirableingredient,bothfromaproductaswellassustainabilitypointofview?

Broadly,thisdocumentcoversthefollowingareas:

• Background:Terminologyandlegalsetting• Supplychainandproductionprocesses• Sustainabilitybenefitsandchallenges

Itisimportanttostatehowever,thatthispresentdocumentdoesnotcoverascientificandnuanceddiscussionofenvironmentaland/orsocialbenefitsorchallengescomparingvirginvsrecycledwool.Theprinciplereasonsforthisdecisionisthelackofavailableandpeerrevieweddata,aswellasmethodologicalquestionsrelatedtoLCAframing.

AbouttheEuropeanOutdoorGroup(EOG)TheEuropeanOutdoorGroupisthemembershipassociationofinternationallyoperatingoutdoorbrands,retailersandtechnologybrands,inEurope.

TheassociationexiststorepresentthecommoninterestsoftheEuropeanoutdoorindustry,andwasfoundedin2003by19oftheworld’slargestoutdoorcompanies,whorecognisedtheneedforacohesive,cross-borderapproachtorepresentationoftheoutdoorsector.Ourmembershipconsists–asatwriting–ofapproximately100corporatemembers(brands,retailers,andtechnologybrands)inadditionto10nationalassociations.

Theoriginsoftheoutdoorindustrylieintheenthusiasmandvaluesetsofindividualentrepreneurswhohavechallengedthemselvesintheoutdoorsandinthedevelopmentoftheirbusiness.

TheEOGstronglybelievesthatincreasedparticipationinoutdoorsportswillbenefitbothindividualsandsocietyasawhole.Weshareavisiontoencouragepeopleofallagesandinalllocationstobeactiveoutdoors.Asanindustrywearealsocommittedtomaintaining‘ourroots’:thenaturalenvironmentandsocietywedrawourinspirationfrom.

EDITORIALINFORMATION

Copyright©2018EuropeanOutdoorGroupandGreenroomVoice.EuropeanOutdoorGroupisregisteredinZug,Switzerland,CHE-110.337.967GreenroomVoiceisregisteredinMartigny-Croix,Switzerland,CHE-114.605.374Nopartofthismaterialmaybecopied,photocopiedorduplicatedinanyformbyanymeansorredistributedwithoutthepriorwrittenconsentoftheEuropeanOutdoorGroup,GreenroomVoice,aswellastheauthors.Formoreinformationaboutthisreport,pleasecontactusat+441539727255.Youcanalsowriteusat: [email protected] -www.europeanoutdoorgroup.com or [email protected] - www.greenroomvoice.comTocitethisreport:Ravasio,P.andRodewaldA.:“RecycledWool:APrimerforNewcomersandRediscoverers”.EuropeanOutdoorGroupandGreenroomVoice,April2018.Thereportisavailablefordownloadfromour“Reports’section,underthefollowinglink: https://europeanoutdoorgroup.com/outreach/csr-sustainability/public-resources/#1498036370814-f0fc4eef-7821

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