Fashion for Good explores new quality standard for recycled cotton

The Amsterdam-based innovation platform Fashion for Good has launched the Cotton Reloop Matrix Project, a study into the possibilities and limitations of mechanically recycled cotton. Together with partners such as Bestseller, C&A and Reformation, Fashion for Good aims to bridge the gap between the quality requirements of fashion brands and the capabilities of recyclers. The organisation announced this in a press release.

According to Fashion for Good, research is necessary because mechanical recycling shortens and weakens cotton fibres. Cotton accounts for 19 percent of global fibre production, according to the organisation. When shredding textile waste, only 45 to 50 percent of the input material is reportedly reusable. Fashion for Good also states that the tensile strength and elasticity of yarn decrease when the proportion of recycled cotton in a yarn blend exceeds approximately 10 percent. According to the organisation, this can also affect the durability of the final fabric.

In addition to these technical limitations, Fashion for Good also identifies market barriers that hinder the scaling of recycled cotton. According to the platform, brands are hesitant due to concerns about consistency, fibre length and higher costs compared to virgin cotton, among other things. At the same time, according to Fashion for Good, recyclers and fashion brands often test separately and with different measurement methods. Consequently, the capabilities of recyclers and the quality requirements of brands do not always align.

From quality matrix to practical tool

The Cotton Reloop Matrix Project consists of three phases. First, Fashion for Good will develop a Quality Matrix for jersey and woven fabrics. This will provide insight into the applications for which mechanically recycled cotton is currently commercially viable.

In the second phase, recyclers will produce ten demonstration fabrics under practical conditions and conduct five trials to further optimise quality. The results will then be incorporated into a Trade-off Analysis, a public standard operating procedure (SOP) for spinning, and an interactive tool.

According to Fashion for Good, this tool should enable brands to better weigh various factors, such as price, quality and the proportion of recycled material.

“By mapping the capabilities of recyclers against the quality targets of brands, we are making recycled cotton a category the industry can truly plan for,” says Katrin Ley, managing director of Fashion for Good, in the press release.

Nikki Player, senior director of raw materials at Reformation, states that the project should enable the sector to work from the same data, thereby further increasing the proportion of recycled cotton in blends.