#Recycling / Circular Economy

2023-11-27

Know-how for a better world with recycled textiles

Definitions, standards and specific industry knowledge…Uster Technologies covers the whole story of recycled textile materials in its application report Sustainability Bulletin No. 1. The publication is part of Uster’s commitment to support the use of recycled materials along the entire textile value chain.

Uster Technologies issues practical guidance in its new Sustainability Bulletin

Many consumers today already expect recycled materials to be used in the clothing and home textiles they purchase – and this is clearly pushing innovation throughout the industry. However, there is a degree of uncertainty about what this trend means for yarn producers, both economically and technically. The first Uster Sustainability Bulletin outlines the challenges and presents the solutions.

Starting positions and results

Upstream in textile processing, spinners are often asked to produce yarns with recycled materials, with comparable quality to those from new fiber. “The use of mechanically recycled fibers in spinning has specific quality considerations. Such fibers have a higher short-fiber and nep content and may often be colored, particularly if post-consumer material is used,” says Gabriela Peters, Head of Product Management Laboratory Systems at Uster Technologies and one of the bulletin’s authors. It is also true that recycled yarns have limitations in terms of yarn fineness. But thermo-mechanically and chemically recycled fibers and filaments are thought to present fewer processing challenges, as they are expected to have similar processing behavior to new fibers and filaments from synthetic and viscose materials.

The Sustainability Bulletin is focused on the more problematic recycled raw material. For example, it deals with the potential difficulties in the various process steps in spinning. The aim is to bring clarity and understanding about mechanically recycled materials and provide ideas on how they can be processed.

Studies have shown that yarns and fabrics produced from recycled fibers may be better for applications where the strength of yarns and fabric is less critical, but where control of unevenness, imperfections, and handle properties is required. Consequently, recycled fibers are most suitable for manufacturing casual clothes such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, and sleepwear. In China, tons of denim jeans trousers are already made of mechanically recycled fibers.

The guardian of quality

Uster Technologies sees its role as knowledge provider, setting definitions and standards, to accelerate this ongoing industry transformation. As a long-term trusted supplier of quality control systems to the textile manufacturing industry, Uster assists the industry by evaluating test results. This helps to guide spinners on the current possibilities for dealing with recycled material in its many forms.

The Uster Statistics benchmarks will be helpful in the requirement to measure, control, and improve the quality. The new edition, launched at ITMA 2023, includes for the first time a section for recycled yarn. The Uster Statistics 2023 edition also features an extended range of fiber data, supporting sustainability goals. It’s a fact that an ideal fiber mix – with or without recycled content – must also meet quality requirements for minimal waste.

Uster understands its function as a kind of neutral arbiter, reporting what quality can be expected when processing different recycled materials. Uster know-how on using recycled raw material is collected in the Sustainability Bulletin No. 1 and ready to download free of charge at http://www.uster.com/sustainabilitybulletin

Cooperation for a sustainable future

Using recycled materials effectively and efficiently will be a key to success in future years. To achieve acceptable results and profitability, all sections of the textile chain will need to cooperate and learn from each other, to avoid collective failure. “At Uster Technologies, we firmly believe it’s a great opportunity for textile manufacturers to lead this momentous industry transformation, as recycled fibers are the raw material of a sustainable future to be processed into new products,” says Peters.

Uster’s new Recycling Opening Index guides spinners to the perfect blend

Uster AFIS 6 now offers the key data for better decisions when blending recycled fibers. Process control is decisive in determining the quality and economic outcome. The new R Recycling Module of AFIS 6 introduces the Recycling Opening Index (ROI), so spinners can optimize their circularity credentials. It was officially launched at ITM 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Measure and control the fiber – optimize yarn quality

Producing consistent yarn quality is an everyday challenge – and a very difficult one. Detailed knowledge and understanding of the fiber raw material is absolutely critical to achieving the best possible quality in the yarn. To help spinners, Uster experts have put together guidelines for avoiding yarn irregularity claims, in a special edition of the Uster News Bulletin.

Uster presents novelties at ITMA Asia + CITME 2025

There’s news from Uster Technologies to be announced for the industry’s upcoming event in Singapore. The Uster 360Q universe is growing with new products, solutions and services. Innovation developments can also be recorded in the fields of man-made fiber testing and fabric inspection. Uster innovations address the industry’s trending topics as mill management and process control, optimization of delivered fabric quality and yield.

Managed workwear services are providing a blueprint for the circular textile economy

Managed workwear service providers are demonstrating how commercial success and circularity can go hand in hand by extending garment lifespans through repair, laundering, reuse and recycling, according to “Managed workwear services—a circular textile economy ahead of the game”, a new 14‑page report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence.

Eco-design as the foundation of circular textiles

Based on the results of an extensive European analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is currently developing three practice-based training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. This was preceded by a comprehensive company survey and a joint analysis conducted by the project partners under the leadership of IVGT. The results show that the greatest challenges lie not so much in a lack of technology as in skills gaps.

Usha Yarns secures growth equity investment from Fullerton Carbon Action Fund

Usha Yarns Limited (“Usha Yarns”), a producer of high-quality recycled yarns with advanced, well established production processes, announced a growth equity investment from the Fullerton Carbon Action Fund (“Fullerton”), a private equity strategy managed by Fullerton Fund Management that backs established mid-market companies across Emerging Asia to accelerate decarbonisation.

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.