Fashion Takes Action Completes Pilot, Launches Guidance Document on Creating Local Textile Recycling Supply Chain

Canadian nonprofit Fashion Takes Action (FTA) has launched a guidance document on creating a textile recycling supply chain, following the successful conclusion of a mechanical textile recycling pilot project.

• The guidance document includes partners and stakeholders, pre-pilot activities, the eight phases of development, as well as key takeaways, learnings, considerations for replicating or scaling, and final recommendations.
• The document has drawn from the pilot project that was launched in 2021. For this, FTA created a local recycling supply chain to demonstrate a feasible mechanical recycling project while creating a consumer-facing end product of higher economic value than the traditional downcycling pathways. 
• FTA's laundry hamper, made from 40% post-consumer polyester garments and 50% recycled PET, was sold at select Canadian Tire stores across Canada.

The Context: Nearly 500,000 tonnes of post-consumer textiles wind up in Canada’s landfills each year, many of which are garments made from fossil-based synthetic (or plastic) materials such as polyester, nylon and acrylic.

• As a first step to mitigate some of these post-consumer textiles from entering landfills or being incinerated, FTA  explored ways to turn these garments into an alternative consumer-facing product.
• While there are promising advanced recycling technologies that are making their way to the market, opening opportunities for fibre-to-fibre recycling and other manufacturing possibilities, these technologies will require a few more years until they are scaled and widely adopted.

The Pilot: The FTA pilot focused on possible end-market opportunities given the current state of infrastructure and available technologies in that country. 

• Together with local stakeholders, FTA worked back to demonstrate that it is possible to mechanically recycle discarded textiles into a consumer-facing product of higher economic value than the traditional aforementioned downcycling pathways.
• This pilot also showed that there is a feasible business case for recycling textiles that are not fit for resale or repair and turn it into a stylish and practical, consumer facing end product that was entirely made in Canada.The hamper was made available at select Canadian Tire stores across Canada in winter 2023.

The partners: FTA created a local recycling supply chain which consisted of:

• SportChek (retail partner who ran in-store collection);
• Goodwill (charity collection partner that sorted and cleaned the garments);
• Jasztex (industrial shredder partner that tore the fabric);
• Alkegen, formerly Texel (mill partner that carded and needlepunched to make a felt);
• Textile expert Marianne Mercier (testing and design of felted product);
• Canadian Tire (retailer who will sell the final end product in select stores across Canada).

Breaking it down: The pilot project was made up of phases:

1. Pre-pilot activities – in addition to the supply chain partners, FTA formed a national stakeholder learning group to provide deeper insights along each step of the journey in an effort to scale and replicate; and determined the type of feedstock in a guidance document.
2. Collecting the material – included marketing to the customer, choosing the bins and locations.
3. Sorting the materials – manually sorting based on fibre (100% polyester) and removing any contaminants, then transport of materials (1000kg  pilot sample).
4. Defibreising the materials – chopping and shredding, then transport of materials.
5. Creating a nonwoven fabric – blending, carding, needlepunching, finishing and testing.
6. Product development – material characteristics, circular design principles, product design, testing, quoting and prototyping.
7. Manufacturing – gathering quotes from local providers.
8. Commercialisation – labelling, packaging, pricing and marketing.
9. Putting the product on the market plus – assessing the financial return.