Technical design for recycling of clothing

Ideally, garments need to be designed with all phases of the life cycle in mind so that they can remain in useful service longer and to maximize the likelihood that they will be diverted from the landfill at the end of life. This is not just about what materials are used to make garments, but also how they are constructed. 

Consumers in more economically developed countries (MEDCs) have become accustomed to the availabihty of fashionable clothing that may not actually be used more than a handful of times before being discarded or unused. The development of this throwaway culture has been attributed in part to the success of the major value retailers and the increasing availability of high-street clothing at relatively low retail prices. At the end of life, opportunities for the reuse of such value clothing can be limited if it quickly goes out of fashion, or has poor appearance retention, dimensional stability, or durability. 

For companies engaged in recycling rather than reuse, the availability of low-cost, consistent bulk-scale quantities of fiber recyclate of known fiber composition and physical properties are important. It is particularly useful if this fiber recyclate is homogeneous in its polymer composition since it is easier to process in closed-loop recycling systems and the physical properties of the raw material are more consistent. If valuable components in a garment are too time consuming or difficult to extract from the rest, there may be no other practical or economically viable option but to shred it, producing a lower value recyclate. 

Current linear models of consumption in which garments are used for a comparatively short period of time and then disposed are not sustainable, and there is a push to move closer toward circular economies where the materials in garments are more effectively used with minimal environmental impacts. Not only is the supply of raw materials and resources finite, there is a lack of landfill capacity, which is reflected by increasing disposal costs, particularly in MEDCs. 

There is a need for economic and environmental sustainable development in this area. To provide commercially viable opportunities for the introduction of new circular economies, various initiatives have been introduced or are being developed relating to different aspects of the supply chain, including alterations to overall garment design. 

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