Table of Contents

Acknowledgement.......................................................................................................2

1. Introduction:..........................................................................................................4

1.1. Objectives:.........................................................................................................4

1.1.1. To develop understanding towards the purpose of textile recycling...............4

1.1.2. To discern the basics of 3 ‘R’s through various cases...................................4

1.1.3. To gauge the extent of awareness regarding the concept of textile recycling amongst users.............................................................................................................4

2. Methodology ....................................................................................................5

3. Data Analysis and Interpretation.........................................................................5

3.1. Textile waste management..............................................................................5

3.1.1. Reduce .........................................................................................................6

3.1.2. Reuse ...........................................................................................................6

3.1.3 Recycle ..........................................................................................................7

3.2. Awareness of Textile Recyclin......................................................................10

4. Conclusion .......................................................................................................13

5. References ......................................................................................................14

6. Appendix ...........................................................................................................15

6.1 Survey on Textile Recycling ...........................................................................15

1. Introduction:

Today, in the world of modern technologies, the demand for production is increasing

so rapidly in all aspects of the required living commodities. The increasing demand

for textile making huge clothing production is not only based on demand for more

population but it’s also changing new fashion habits as well. The problem is not for

cheap or expensive clothing, but the problem is the working conditions and the

standard earning of the people, those who are working in these sectors especially in

developing world. Since, today the world is fully aware of global warming issues,

which is affecting our environment and causes more problems regarding to CO2 in

our space. Today, we need more concern to Renewable energy and recycling

processes, in order to utilize resources in efficient way. (Ishfaq M., 2013)

When we talk about textile recycling process, the main focus comes to energy

sources which are utilized in the process of textile recycling. Therefore, there are few

resources which have to utilize efficiently while environmental issues and economic

issues taking into account therefore reducing CO2 and Implementation of best

recycling technologies, in order to make recycling process more precise. Today,

many countries in the world are already using the best technologies under all

perspectives from raw material to waste to generating new products. (Ishfaq M.,

2013)

Apart from that a basic survey was conducted by researcher in order to understand

persistence of awareness amongst commoners for recycling, reusing and reducing

consumption of products. Questions were planned to discern practice of above

discussed concept amongst them since awareness towards recycling and practicing

it are all together different aspects.

1.1. Objectives:1.1.1. To develop understanding towards the purpose of textile recycling.

1.1.2. To discern the basics of 3 ‘R’s through various cases

1.1.3. To gauge the extent of awareness regarding the concept of textile

recycling amongst users.

2. Methodology:

An exploratory study has been planned out and data has been collected by means of

desk research and primary research. For the execution of primary research

questionnaire method has been adopted and a questionnaire comprising of sixteen

questions was formulated online at google form. The questionnaire drafted was

circulated amongst fifty-two subjects out of whom thirty-five responded. Hence, the

sample size for the present survey was of thirty-five respondents.

3. Data Analysis and Interpretation:The data has been retrieved by means desk and engendered through e-survey

executed by using google forms. The data collected elucidated the commercial areas

where effective textile management has been carried out while primary information

gathered reveals information pertaining to the practice and awareness amongst

textile recycling amongst common users. The generated has been discussed under

following heads:

3.1. Textile waste management :

Textile Waste recycling is the process to take into reuse all kind of recyclable

material, from material making different types of products for customers use.

Furthermore, waste is the process to dispose of or destroy the things which are not

in use or we do not need them anymore. Textile waste recycling is the process which

tends to recycle clothes and make new clothes to reuse in the different form of other

products and the same kind of clothes depending on the nature and substance and

type of recyclable. At the moment, in order to increase demand and textile recycling

is the best and efficient way to develop new products under sustainability. (Ashjaran A.

Azarmi R., 2015)

There are different techniques to recycle textile waste; one is based on post

consumer textiles, where the resources are used at minimal level, like energy and

raw material. Therefore, post consumer is the technique where only 4 to 6 percent of

total residual waste can is generated which is minimal compare to producing new

products, in the post consumer textile includes clothes, towels, blanket, rags, socks

curtains and shoes, table clothes and bed sheets. Similar there are other type of

techniques as well for example, pre consumer materials and chippings and cuttings

are the efficient methods. Moreover, in the post consumer material are included such

waste which is generated from processing apparels, textile manufacturing process,

knitting and nonwoven materials are included. On the other hand, chippings and

cuttings are also one of the huge amounts of textile waste; this kind of waste is

generated at the time of finalizing products scrap material. Thus, there are different

types of materials needed to be recycled but the mostly single component fibre will

be more feasible to recycle under the minimum process at low level processing

prices.

The implementation of 3Rs i.e. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are the most common

approach towards waste management these days. The three ‘R’s are elaborated as

below:

3.1.1. Reduce: The term reduce is used, in order to reduced waste and waste

generating activities, at the same time to decrease the total consumption of energy

on the reducing the total flow of over production and over processing, in which also

effect on the environment in addition to this protecting and making our environment

friendly for human on this planet. (Caulfield,2009)

Case 1: Tara St James: Brooklyn-based

designer, previously of mainstream eco-friendly

sportswear label Covet, creates city-friendly

pieces often with trompe l'oeil details and quirky-

cool prints. Uses organic cotton, linen, hand-

dyed fabrics and recycled materials. Strives for

no-waste pattern-making and production, and

makes everything locally in New York.

3.1.2. Reuse: Over waste and unnecessary waste can be controlled which comes

from over processing and using the raw material in excessive way. That leads in the

end over wastes and there is no use of it after the product is completed.

Figure 1: Clothes made of Recycled cotton

Sourced: www.study-ny.com

The recycling process of textile waste, takes place in different forms, distribution

channels and other resources which are utilized such as, resale, redistribution and

online shops which sale second hand products. Like, Amazon and ebay are the good

example of using the informal reuse.(Caulfield, 2009)

Case 2: Goonj project

founded in 1998 by  Anshu

Gupta, collects unused

clothing from all over India to

then recycle the materials to

provide clothes, sanitary and

many other basic amenities

to people living in poorer

communities across the

country.

The 300 plus volunteers and mass participation of housewives, professionals,

schools, colleges, corporates, exporters, hotels and hospitals behind the recycling

and distribution center help to send out over 20,000 kgs of recycled waste materials

every single month.1

3.1.3. Recycling: There are basic fundamental of textile recycling such as,

reclaiming fibre, shredding fabric and re-spinning in the yarn. Other mechanical

methods are also used in the fibres processing chemically; most of these fibres are

included like, polyester, nylon and polypropylene. The basic processing idea behind

of this involves in order to breaking down the fibre into different integrated form and

then re-polymerising the feedback and in the end it tends to predict most accurately

quality of fibres. The main reason to process it chemically is to treat the natural

content out of mixed material, the processing of dying make enables natural fibre

can be reused. (Caulfield, 2009)

Case 3: According to the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) located in Dalton, and

other organizations which are working in the related field of carpet recycling, they

Figure 2: Collected clothes for recyclingwww.goonj.org

say that carpet can be refurbished, on the other hand some organizations claims that

the life of carpet can be extended, repair the tiles of carpet and reclaim extend the

durability and life time of carpet. In order to do so, there are technologies available in

order to recycle used carpets into closed-loop recycling system.

Case 4: Active wear clothing brand Patagonia is well known for its Common

Threads Recycling Program, which enables customers to send in their old, worn-

out garments like fleece sweaters and cotton t-shirts to be made into new clothing.

Aided by modern-day quality controls, the Patagonia wool goes through a meticulous

sorting of materials into color categories prior to shredding. By selecting and

blending colors of dyed wool fabrics and garments, they eliminate the dyeing

process, saving water and chemicals and eliminating the resulting wastewater.

Recycled used soda bottles, unusable manufacturing waste and worn-out garments

are converted into polyester fibers to produce clothing like shell jackets, board shorts

and fleece.

Case 5- Jindal Woollen: Sweaters are imported from big countries like America.

These sweaters are collected from old clothing by inspection of labels and hand feel

of cashmere by well trained and experienced personnel. These sweaters are further

seperated as per shades and the process of regenerating fiber is carried out on the

material.2

Case 6: The popular American denim brand

Levi’s, is expanding its recycling program to all its

US locations, including its outlet stores.

Customers are be able to drop off clean, dry

clothing or footwear from any brand at their nearby

Levi’s. Levi’s sends all donated clothes to an

I:Collect facility, where the company hand sorts

the items into over 300 categories to determine

what to do with them. Items that are wearable will

be resold so they continue to be worn.

Figure 3: 'Red-Levi', a teddy bear created from old jeansSource: www.businesswire.com

Pieces that aren’t wearable will be repurposed, which generally means being

shredded and used as building insulation, cushioning, filling for car seats, or even

filling for stuffed animals. Some will be turned into fibers to be used for new clothing.4

3.2 Awareness of Textile Recycling amongst Users

2-3 times 4-5 times Once a month Once in 3 months

0123456789

10

How many times do you purchase a new item of cloth-ing in a month?

Axis

Title

The above graph shows that most of the people surveyed buy more than two garments in a month.

While the bottom graph shows that more than half of the people throw away more than three items in a year.

1-3 times

4-8 times

9-12 times

Above 12

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

How many textile items did you throw away last year?

No. of People

Figure 5: Graph showing no. of garments thrown away in a year.

Figure 4: Graph showing frequency of purchase of a new item.

45%

10%

38%

3% 3%

What do you do with your worn out clothes when you no longer need them?

Keep them at home and use them as ragsThrow themDonate themGive them to friends or relativesSell them

It is clear from the above analysis that almost three-fourth of the people surveyed reuse their clothes unknowingly. It is seen that 45% of them use the worn out clothes as rugs while 38% of them donate the clothes.

It was also seen that when good conditioned clothes are concerned, 38% of the people choose to donate them.

24%

10%

38%

24%

3%

What do you do with your good condition clothes when you no longer need them?

Keep them at home and use them as ragsThrow themDonate themGive them to relatives or friendsSell them

Figure 6: Graph showing use of worn out clothes when not required

Figure 7: Graph showing use of good conditioned clothes when not required

Yes

No

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%

Are you aware about textile recycling?

Percentage of People

Repo

nses

In this graph it is seen that more than 70% of the youth are aware about textile recycling while more than 85% of them know of the obvious meaning of recycling. This proves that the awareness of textile recycling is present in the youth.

86%

7%7%

What do you understand by Textile Recycling?

Reusing of old products to make new thingsSelling your clothes to earn moneyConcept by major fashion brands

Figure 8: Graph showing awareness about textile recycling

Figure 9: Graph showing understanding of textile recycling amongst youth

Yes

No

5.00% 15.00% 25.00% 35.00% 45.00% 55.00% 65.00% 75.00%Yes No

Series1 0.759000000000001 0.241

Would you prefer buying recycled products from the market?

It was also proven that more than 75% of the people were willing to buy recycled products from the market. This graph shows that people do have a sense of preventing pollution and are ready to promote recycling

Also, according to 62% of the people surveyed, reusing of textiles is the best approach of textile recycling

Reusing Reducing Recycling

Series1 0.621000000000001 0.172 0.207

5.00%

15.00%

25.00%

35.00%

45.00%

55.00%

65.00%

Which, according to you, is the best method of textile recycling?

Figure11: Graph showing that reusing of textiles is the best approach.

Figure 10: Willingness to use recycled products

4) Conclusion

There is an increase in concerns towards the recycling of waste or rather worn out

products. Few industries have sprung up to recycle textile waste load to develop

right products for niche market. Certainly, there is awareness amongst mass towards

the concept of recycling and its importance. But why should they do this? and what

should they do for it?, remains the question for them. Thus, there is an urgent need

to sensitize mass towards adoption of measures that reduce textile waste load along

with its repercussions. It has been observed that people are often disconcerted when

it comes to buying or wearing recycled clothes. For them, wearing clothes made from

the recycled fabric is for the poor and the needs. This mindset is what, should be

removed. In the era of recycling everyone is equal as everyone shares the same

planet.

Textile recycling should be adopted as it can be a new way to generate employment

both for the literate and illiterate. It also generates a new socially acceptable trade

where people can enjoy high-quality clothes, which most of them could not afford if

they had to buy them new and stop pollution at the same time.

5) References:

1. www.goonj .org 2. http://www.jindalwoollen.com/ 3. Ishfaq M. (2013). German textile recycling benchmarking, HAMK University of

Applied Science, Finland. Available at: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/assets/harvard_referencing_examples_tcm44-39847.pdf [ Accessed on 15th July 2015]

4. Business Wire. (2015). Levi Strauss & Co. Expands Clothing Recycling Initiative to All U.S. Stores,Available at: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150721005564/en/Levi-Strauss-Expands-Clothing-Recycling-Initiative-U.S.#.VdPro7Kqqko [Accessed on 30th

July 2015] 5. Ashjaran A. Azarmi R. (2015)Survey on common bio fibers and polymers in

recyclable textiles, Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, vol.7, no.3. Pp.202-208. Available at: http://jocpr.com/vol7-iss3-2015/JCPR-2015-7-3-202-208.pdf [Accessed on 15th July 2015]

6. Caulfield K.(2009). Sources of textile waste in Australia,Apical Internation Pvt. Ltd. Available at: http://www.nacro.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/TEXTILE-WASTE-PAPER-March-2009-final.pdf[ Accessed on 15th July 2015]

6) Appendix

6.1 Survey On Textile Recycling

1. Name

2. Age

3. Gender

Male Female

4. What is your monthly allowance? Less than Rs.2000 2000-3000 3000-5000 More than Rs.5000

5. How much do you usually spend on clothing in a month?

Less than Rs.500 Rs.500-1000 Rs.1000-2000 Rs.2000-4000 More than Rs.4000

6. How many times do you purchase a new item of clothing in a month?

2-3 times 4-5 times Once a month Once in 3 months

7. What do you do with your worn out clothes when you no longer need them?

Keep them at home and use them as rags Throw them Donate them Give them to relatives or friends Sell them

8. What do you do with your good condition clothes when you no longer need them?

Keep them at home and use them as rags Throw them Donate them Give them to relatives or friends Sell them

9. Why do you stop wearing your good conditioned clothes?

They go out of fashion Lack of interest/Monotony Other:

10.How many textile items did you throw away last year?

1-3 4-8 9-12 Above 12

11.Have you heard of textile recycling? Yes No

12.What do you understand by textile recycling? Reusing of old products to make new things Selling your clothes to earn money Concept by major fashion brands

13.Are you aware of the benefits of clothing and textile recycling?

Not really Not all of the benefits All the benefits

14.Have you ever tried reusing your garments?

Yes No

15. If yes, then how?

16.Would you prefer buying recycled products from the market?

Yes No

17.Which, according to you, is the best method of textile recycling?

Reusing Reducing Recycling