18 May 2023

Recycling Used Textiles into Non-Textile Industries

Collecting and recycling second hand clothing is increasing worldwide in line with increasing awareness and a push from relevant legislations, to decrease waste and to efficiently use natural resources.

Circular solutions where textiles are recycled into textiles are imperative, however they have limitations due to the nature of clothing. Blended materials or multicolored garments sometimes limit the mechanical or chemical recycling of textiles with current technologies. With R&D projects carried out around the world, recycling into non-textile industries constitutes a practical alternative solution.

We have analysed some companies and their solutions for recycling used textiles into insulation, filling materials and more:

Le Relais – Metisse® Metisse® was developed by Le Relais in 2007 to use post-consumer cotton textiles for acoustic and thermal insulation. Metisse Eco baffle sound insulation provides 95% sound absorption and is ideal for meeting rooms, schools, open spaces and more.

.PLANQ Planq is a Dutch sustainable furniture brand, that works with innovative materials such as recycled textiles and biobased resources. Their brand Rezign® is a recycled veneer made of textile residues such as old denim, army clothing, suits, and biobased fibers such as flax, hemp and jute coffee bags, that can be used in furniture to reflect contemporary design and environmental consciousness.

Isocoton Isover is an insulation company owned by Saint Gobain, France, that focuses on sustainable solutions. Isover has created Isocoton which is a high-performance, biobased insulation material made from locally recycled textiles.

FabBRICK FabBRICK is a French company that turns companies’ textile wastes such as production scraps, work clothes, prototypes, defective products etc and uses these to produce bricks of different shapes and colors, furniture or wall coverings. Their technology can be adapted to all types of textiles and it was patented in 2019.

Kvadrat really is a Danish company upcycling textile waste into premium quality engineered materials such as textile tabletop, textile board and textile felt for interior and industrial scale products.

SK-Tex SK-Tex is a textile recycling company from Slovakia, active for 23 years and that processes 3,500 tons of textile waste annualy. The company recycles second hand clothing into insulation materials for automotive, furniture and construction businesses.

Manifattura Maiano The Italian company processes textile fibers to produce felts, wadding and insulation for furniture, footwear, insulation, automotive and more. 70% of the companies raw materials are from recycled materials

21 Mar 2022

Werner International New Twist – Recycling of Second-hand Clothes

There are different methods of recycling and regenerating textiles from textile waste. This process is however strongly influenced by factors such as high prices, volumes and availability of virgin raw materials. For this reason, this line of work has not been fully integrated into the overall textile supply chain and it still has challenges for sustainable and economically feasible operations.

Processes such as trimming industrial and post-consumer waste, pulping cotton and linen, and producing non-woven materials have existed for centuries. Recently, there has been great interest in the growth of the reuse and recycling of textile waste, further developing the recycling processes, due to a greater awareness of the impacts of the current supply chain of fashion industry.

13 Mar 2022

Werner International New Twist – Second-hand Clothes Shops

The upcoming and trendy way of selling and buying second-hand items are through e-commerce sites. There are many rising companies around the world that are operating in this industry, positioning themselves either on the luxury or mass market segments.

An interesting example is Thredup.com, which is an online second-hand shopping site operating in the USA, with many well-known brands sold for up to 90% discounted rates. Authenticity and the shape of the product are checked and audited by the company, and special designers and stylists are curating the collections for the consumers to enjoy shopping fashionable items for great prices.

7 Dec 2021

Werner International New Twist – International Trade of Second-Hand Clothes

The adventures of clothing – from second-hand clothes to recycling

History

Secondhand clothing collection and reuse has a long history. In mid and late 19^th century, London, Paris and Netherlands were centers for trading of secondhand clothes and the sales were mostly to Europe or Americas. The industry has fluctuated over the 20^th century with the evolving economic and political milestones. The end of World War I and II resulted in an oversupply of army clothing which was exported to Africa. Collection of second-hand clothes and small sized exports have long been present but the supply to the collectors grew the most in the 1980s for disaster relief to Africa and other regions with the increase in the humanitarian aid concept. Red Cross and other organizations donated clothes after wars or natural disasters. In the following years, the fall of the Berlin Wall and opening up of the old communist countries brought about a new wave of demand from Eastern Europe for second hand clothing. With growing globalization and less limitations on the world trade the supply and demand further increased to become a 4 billion USD industry globally.

6 Dec 2021

Werner International New Twist – How to minimize waste in the fashion industry

In today’s world, both producers and consumers are aiming to minimize waste from clothing and fashion, and there is a lot of work to be done. While producers are exploring new ways to include more recycled fiber content, make clothes more durable and design for reuse or recycling, consumers are becoming more aware, want to give used clothes a second life and keep them out of the waste stream.

Werner International is working with clients worldwide to assist in their strategies to design, produce and sell more environmentally friendly and sustainable collections. In the upcoming New Twist edition, we explore international trade of second hand clothes, resale trends through second hand stores and innovations and trends in recycling.

WERNER INTERNATIONAL INC.

12 Feb 2021

Mexico – Business and Trade Opportunities

Istanbul Chamber of Industry organized another successful event, on the business and investment opportunities in Mexico. Through this event we had the opportunity to listen to the experiences of Totomak Automotive and Kros Automotive in Mexico. The presentations and information shared by the Board Member of ISO, Consul General of Mexico in Istanbul, Turkish Commercial Attaché in Mexico and the President of DEIK Turkey-Mexico Business Council were very fruitful and insightful.

Mexico, being a part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force on July 1, 2020 replacing the NAFTA agreement, has close trade relations with the USA and Canada. Many US and European brands and companies have production facilities for spare-parts or final products in Mexico.

27 Jan 2021

Singapore – Business and Investment Opportunities

We had the opportunity to listen to the business experiences of Alvimedica, Atlas Marine Valves, Altıparmak Gıda and Rapsodo Spor Teknolojileri in Singapore at the conference organized by Istanbul Sanayi Odası in Turkey. The presentations and information shared by the Turkish Ambassador in Singapore, Singapore Ambassador in Ankara, Turkish Commercial Attache in Singapore and the Region Director of Singapore Enterprise were very fruitful and insightful.

27 Dec 2019

SBA Consulting 2019 Highlights

With warmest appreciation we extend our best wishes for a prosperous new year! 🎄

Check out our video clip on 2019 Highlights

20 May 2019

Werner International – New Twist 2019

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT of WERNER INTERNATIONAL,
Mr. CONSTANTINE RAPTIS

Dear colleagues and friends,

Welcome to our latest newsletter, the NewTwist, all of which we hope will keep you informed on our latest news and provide you with vital information for your textile and apparel businesses. For over 80 years, Werner International has provided professional management consulting services to well over 5,500 organizations in more than 75 countries. We are the undisputed leader of management consulting practices that specialize solely in the textile and fashion industries – our commitment to our clients is unrivaled.

I would like to begin by making the following exciting announcement – Werner has signed an agreement in Egypt with CTIHC (Cotton, Textile Industries Holding Co.) This contract has been signed with the Chairman of Egypt Textile Holding Company, Dr. Ahmed Mustafa, and in the presence of HE Dr. Hesham Tawfik, Minister of Public Enterprise in Egypt.

1 Nov 2018

CA Sports Marketing – Hyundai’s Activation

Our partner CA Sports Marketing has started Hyundai’s activation with Atlético de Madrid. Here’s an example of how Atletico’s junior fans enjoyed the match as Escort Kids. They had the chance to get to know their idols and fulfill a dream.

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