Textile Recycling Technologies, Colouring and Finishing Methods

open-loop recycling: 
(see downcycling)
 
pigments: 
coloured, black, white or fluorescent particulate organic or inorganic solids, that are insoluble 
or physically and chemically unaffected by the substrate in which they are incorporated. Pigments applied 
to fibres require binding agents for attachment. They modify colour by scattering or absorbing light. 
(ETAD –The Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigment Manufacturers; 
Kumar, 2018)
post-consumer waste: 
waste arising from products that have reached the consumer and been used.
 
post-industrial waste: 
(pre-consumer) waste that arises from industrial, commercial establishments, and 
do not reach consumers.
 
recycling: 
the process of taking a product or material, breaking it down to make a material that is more 
valuable (upcycling), of equal value (recycling), or lower value (downcycling). 
sustainability: 
the ability to meet the needs of social or economic development without compromising 
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 
(Brundtland, 1987) 
synthetic fibre: 
man-made textile fibres produced from chemical substances (petroleum, coal). 
upcycling (textiles): 
a process whereby textile materials are converted to products of equal or greater value. 
 

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Textile Recycling Technologies, Colouring and Finishing Methods | Le 
vi 
CONTENTS 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................... ii 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... iii 
GLOSSARY OF TERMS ............................................................................................................................. v 
1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 
1.1 Scope and Methodology...................................................................................................................... 2 
2.0 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 3 
2.1 Textile Fibres ...................................................................................................................................... 5 
2.2 Textile Waste ...................................................................................................................................... 6 
2.3 Textile Recycling Processes ................................................................................................................ 7 
2.4 Colouring Methods and Chemicals in Textiles ................................................................................. 10 
3.0 TEXTILE FIBRE PRODUCTION AND RECYCLING ...................................................................... 11 
3.1 Polyester ............................................................................................................................................ 12 
3.1.1 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 12 
3.1.2 Polyester Recovery and Recycling ............................................................................................ 13 
3.1.3 Current Recycling Stakeholders ................................................................................................. 16 
3.2 Nylon................................................................................................................................................. 18 
3.2.1 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 18 
3.2.2 Nylon Recovery and Recycling ................................................................................................. 19 
3.2.3 Current Recycling Stakeholders ................................................................................................. 21 
3.3 Cotton ................................................................................................................................................ 23 
3.3.1 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 23 
3.3.2 Cotton Recovery and Recycling ................................................................................................ 24 
3.3.3 Current Recycling Stakeholders ................................................................................................. 28 
3.4 Wool .................................................................................................................................................. 30 
3.4.1 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 30 
3.4.2 Wool Recovery and Recycling .................................................................................................. 30 
3.4.3 Current Recycling Markets and Applications ............................................................................ 34 
3.5 Recycling of Fibre Blends: Progress in Closed-Loop and Alternative Technologies ....................... 35 
4.0 TEXTILE COLOURATION AND CHEMICAL FINISHING ............................................................ 39 
4.1 Dyeing and Finishing Processes ....................................................................................................... 39 
4.2 Potential Problematic Chemicals in Textiles for Recycling ............................................................. 44 
4.3 Advances in Dyeing Technologies ................................................................................................... 47 
5.0 ENABLING FACTORS AND TECHNOLOGY OUTLOOK ............................................................. 48 
6.0 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 50 
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 51