Arvind and PurFi announce future recycling facility
23/11/2022
The two partners plan to set up several ‘fibre rejuvenation facilities’ near Arvind’s manufacturing sites in India. Construction of the first unit is expected to begin before the close of 2022, its two recycling lines could begin operating in the fourth quarter of 2023. The partners estimate the investment to be in the range of Rs. 200-250 crores (or €25 to 30 million). The facility is expected to be able to process several types of textile waste, made in cotton or synthetic fibres and in all colours. Each line will be able to process 5,500 tonnes yearly. The site could include a specific production line that removes elastomers from fabrics, using a technology developed and patented by PurFi.
A Purfi recycling/regenerating pilot line has been in operation since early 2021 in Waregem, Belgium, thanks to a similar partnership with textile mill Concordia. “The process developed by PurFi gently untwists fabrics and yarns, it is similar to a reverse spinning process,” Koen De Ruyck told Inside Denim at Techtextil earlier this year. The pilot line in operation is 160 metres long and can treat 500 kg per hour, or 10 tonnes per day, he said.
Arvind president and CEO Ashish Kumar commented: “Unlike the traditional ‘one-and-done’ recycling approach, PurFi’s technology can rejuvenate waste materials into virgin-like fibres 17 times, and it can be done at scale. Working together, we believe we can lead the textile and fashion industries into a new era of sustainable practices, transforming textile manufacturing into a truly closed loop cycle.”
Photo by Óscar Aguilar Elías on unsplash
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