A new large-scale fabric recycling method separates polyester and cotton from blended textiles, making full recycling possible.
Ever wondered what happens to your old clothes after you toss them in the donation bin? The harsh reality is that most don’t get a second life. Instead, they end up in landfills or incinerators. This is especially true if they are made from blended fabrics like polyester-cotton, which are hard to recycle. But that might be about to change.
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have developed a large-scale fabric recycling method. The technique fully separates polyester and cotton from blended textiles, making it possible to recycle both materials efficiently. This could be what the fashion industry desperately needs to tackle its growing waste crisis.
Fast fashion has flooded the market with cheap, comfortable polyester-cotton blends. They are everywhere—your favorite t-shirt, those stretchy jeans, even your bedsheets. The problem? Over 99% of the 113 million tons of textiles produced each year end up in landfills or are incinerated because there is no effective way to separate the fibers for recycling.
Existing methods either require extreme heat or expensive multi-step processes or only recycle one component while destroying the other. This means most blended fabrics are downcycled into low-value products like furniture stuffing or simply discarded.
The new large-scale fabric recycling method from the University of Amsterdam changes the game. Working with Avantium, a sustainable chemistry company, researchers developed a process that soaks blended textiles in a 43% hydrochloric acid solution for one to four days while stirring. Sounds simple, right? That’s because it is, at least compared to previous methods.
This process breaks cotton down into glucose, a basic building block that can be repurposed for industrial uses like making renewable plastics. Meanwhile, polyester remains intact and can be processed further using advanced recycling techniques. The result is a closed-loop recycling system in which both polyester and cotton can be reused instead of wasted.
This isn’t just about keeping clothes out of landfills. It is about transforming the entire textile industry. Textile production is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined.
This new method could reduce emissions, conserve resources, and lessen our dependence on virgin materials by making recycling easier and more efficient.
As promising as this sounds, hurdles still exist before large-scale fabric recycling becomes the norm. Concentrated hydrochloric acid requires specialized equipment and strict safety measures. Scaling up this process for industrial use means addressing these challenges. The method takes one to four days to fully separate the fibers. While this is an improvement over some existing processes, it may need further refinement for mass production.
While initial studies suggest this process is economically viable, widespread adoption will depend on whether manufacturers and recycling facilities see it as a practical alternative to current waste management methods. This new method isn’t the only approach to large-scale fabric recycling, but it’s one of the most promising. Other methods include shredding fabrics to repurpose them into insulation or padding (simple but limited in scope) and chemical recycling of synthetic fibers: breaking down polyester into reusable components (effective but doesn’t address cotton).
This new process stands out because it tackles both cotton and polyester in blended fabrics—a long-standing industry challenge.
While scientists work on scaling up this technology, you can do your part to reduce fabric waste: Buy fewer, better-quality clothes to reduce the need for constant replacement. Donate or resell items instead of tossing them in the trash. Support brands that prioritize sustainability and invest in recycled or eco-friendly materials. And finally, recycle correctly by seeking out textile recycling programs in your area.
The University of Amsterdam team and Avantium are now focused on scaling this process for commercial use. If successful, we could soon see a large-scale fabric recycling system that dramatically reduces textile waste and reshapes the fashion industry.
As sustainability becomes a priority for both consumers and brands, innovations like this will be crucial in creating a future where clothes aren’t just worn and discarded but continuously reused. With the right investment and industry backing, this breakthrough could finally make circular fashion a reality.
This is great news. What happens to the hydrochloric acid? Can it be used more than once?
While it is not mentioned in the article, the process is very similar to new processes used by the battery recycling industry on lithium ion batteries. There, hydrochloric acid is forced through membranes (much like a desalination system) and is filtered to capture the valuable elements. The hydrochloric acid is clean and can be reused indefinitely – critical to the viability of the process. I would imagine this is very similar.
– Grant