How to leverage the 100 billion yuan market for the recycling of waste textiles? Maybe this will be a new trend in textiles in the future!

Uncontaminated textile waste, old clothing, low-quality cotton and other garbage are recyclable;

Uncontaminated waste textiles, such as old clothes, ingredients, spinning, packaging, plastic products, etc., are also recyclable.

But from this we can feel that the amount of waste textiles is beyond our imagination. On September 23, Xinhuanet reported that my country’s annual production of waste textiles can reach 20 million tons. Pan Yonggang, vice chairman and secretary-general of China Renewable Resources Recycling Association, believes that the future of waste textile market has huge potential and favorable policies can be expected.

Under the guidance of relevant policies in recent years, my country has initially formed an industrial chain of recycling, sorting, dismantling, processing and utilization of waste textiles. Nevertheless, the recycling rate of waste textiles in my country is still less than 20%.

If my country's waste textiles can be fully recycled, it is equivalent to saving 24 million tons of crude oil and reducing 80 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The recycling and reuse of waste textiles is not only an environmental protection project, but also a sunrise market, which will give birth to a hundred billion yuan industry. But in the face of such a low recycling rate, how can we leverage the 100 billion-level waste textile recycling industry?

The textile industry is heavily dependent on imports

The textile industry has become the second most polluting industry after the petroleum industry. It is predicted that by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the social stock of chemical fiber textiles in my country will continue to increase by nearly 200 million tons. And waste textiles are treated as garbage landfill or incineration, which not only pollutes the environment, but also causes a great waste of resources.

On the one hand, there is an ever-increasing amount of waste clothing, and on the other, there is a serious shortage of raw materials for textiles. The low utilization rate of waste clothing makes the predicament into a vicious circle. As we all know, our country is a big producer of textiles and clothing. However, due to the shortage of resources, my country needs to import a large number of textile raw materials every year, of which cotton imports account for 30% of the total processing volume, and jute fiber imports almost 100%.

 If the recovery rate of these waste clothes can be increased, and reasonable recycling and utilization, it will greatly alleviate the shortage of resources in my country's textile industry. According to calculations, if the comprehensive utilization rate of waste textiles in my country reaches 60%, the annual output of chemical fibers is about 9.4 million tons, and natural fibers are about 4.7 million tons, which is equivalent to saving 18.8 million tons of crude oil and saving 16.34 million mu of land. Alleviating the shortage of resources in my country's textile industry has a huge effect.

Waste spinning recycling faces multiple bottlenecks

The outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan clearly proposes to speed up the construction of a recycling and harmless treatment system for waste textiles. The "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Renewable Resources Industry" jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology proposes that by 2020, the total comprehensive utilization of waste textiles will reach 9 million tons.

At present, my country's waste textile recycling industry is in a period of rapid development, the scale of the industry continues to expand, and the number of enterprises continues to increase. However, the recycling and reuse of waste textiles in my country is still facing multiple development bottlenecks. For example, policies and regulations on waste clothing recycling channels, treatment and processing, and inspection and quarantine of recycled products are not yet complete. There are no standards for products using waste textiles as raw materials, and it is difficult for products to enter the market.

Used clothes are crushed and processed into recycled fibers

In addition, according to industry insiders, consumers have prejudice against products made from waste textiles. When they hear that they are made of waste clothes, they think it is "black cotton", and they are unwilling to use them as thermal insulation quilts in greenhouses. Consumers’ outdated ideas have also hindered the development of the waste textile recycling industry.

Need to make every effort to leverage the "new momentum" of waste textiles

 Experts believe that the recycling of waste textiles is an industry with a market potential of 100 billion yuan. It requires the joint efforts of the government, industry associations, and enterprises to promote the industry from the low-end to the high-end through the integration of intelligent manufacturing and modern technology, thereby becoming an economy "New momentum" for social development.

For example, waste polyester fibers can be used to produce textile softeners. After the waste textiles undergo desizing, scouring, bleaching and mercerizing, the cellulose content can reach 99% to 100%, which is an ideal material for biomass ethanol. The cross-integration and cross-border application of waste textiles and emerging technologies will create unlimited possibilities.

The processing of waste textiles is no stranger to everyone. Cangnan, Wenzhou, Zhejiang and other places are the main areas for processing recycled fibers in my country. However, in the past, the industry's low and scattered phenomenon was prominent, the recycling and conversion rate was low, the equipment technology was backward, and the pollution was serious, and it was often labeled as a "black cotton" workshop.

In fact, whether recycled fiber is "black-heart cotton" or not depends on where it is used. For example, old clothes are sorted and processed. Good clothes can be recycled after being cleaned and disinfected. After being opened and broken, other waste materials are made into various agricultural and industrial products, including greenhouse insulation quilts, waterproof coiled materials, and sound insulation cotton. Industrial wastes such as leftovers from garment factories can be recycled directly without the need to sterilize and kill bacteria.

Source: Chemical Fibers, Xinhuanet, Qingdao Daily