For the online magazine Filippa K Circle we were asked to reflect on how innovative yarn can be
We all know that the fashion and the textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It has a huge impact on the availability of clean water in areas with a shortage. 90% of the textiles industry water footprint comes from production of the textile fibers. We at ReBlend believe yarn can be truly innovative based on 3 principles:
RETHINK WORK and WASTE :
What if we produce new yarn by recycling the old one, no water and no chemicals added? This would create yarns with a minimal negative impact. The need for dying this yarn can be minimized by using of color sorted textiles as a starting point. Fashion reflects our identity. It shows who we are and how we think. So fashion made from recycled yarn will make a better world.
RE USE EXISTING MATERIALS:
The available mechanical recycling technology enables us to make a step in a circular direction, waiting for chemical recycling solutions to come. Instead of disregarding a huge part of the current (mostly blended) textile waste we make innovative yarn of it. In 2014 we made, together with German students, 20 kilo 100% recycled yarn. This yarn was only made from post consumer textiles. No water and no chemicals were added. This year we launched a first batch of industrially produced 100% recycled yarn from 70% post consumer textile and 30% recycled PET and used it to create our first capsule collection in co-creation with Amsterdam based fashion label BYBROWN.
Current shredding and spinning technologies have in fact been made for different purposes. Further research and fine-tuning the machines for upcycling is expected to give an even better result.
RECONNECT THE PRODUCTION CHAIN:
Fashion is the result of a large number of process steps. Currently all parts in itself aim for more sustainability. But the resulting industry is still one of the most polluting. A swarm of birds is flying together toward a particular destination. In this way they reach goals they cannot achieve individually. In line with this metaphor we need a circular textiles process in which swarm intelligence creates economically viable, aesthetic and high quality circular fashion made fabulous circular yarn.
Yarn without the current negative ecological impact has the ability to be truly innovative and act as a driver for change!
december 2016
http://filippakcircle.com/2016/12/28/innovative-can-yarn/
