Cotton-to-cellulose recycling offers novel solutions for waste
The mechanical recycling of cotton can be a good solution for some types of waste, but shredding fabrics and clothes back to fibre form results in short, low-grade cotton fibres having limited use.
Dissolving cotton down to its cellulose form, a chemical recycling technique, changes the nature of the fibre as it is turned into a viscose, lyocell or any other of the manmade cellulosic fibres, but it regenerates waste into high quality fibres.
In our 'Cotton regenerated' article, we take a look at some of the new companies and techniques in the field – including Lenzing, Evrnu, Infinited Fiber Company, Re:newcell and Natural Fiber Welding - which are offering solutions to textiles waste.
Read the full article in the Features section, or in the ezine of Issue Two on the Magazine page.
PHOTO: Lenzing’s Refibra Technology upcycles cotton waste to make a soft, stronger and circular fibre that was featured in a capsule collection designed by Juan Carlos Gordillo with fabrics from Tejidos Royo, Spain. © Richard Cordero for Lenzing
