Repair beats recycling: sustainability in workwear
A "right to repair", as recently introduced by the European Union for electrical appliances, could also help to promote resource conservation in the clothing industry. With the revision of the Environmental Protection Act in spring 2024, the topic of "repairing instead of throwing away" is also gaining importance in Switzerland. A declared goal is to focus on sustainable and recyclable textiles and the reduction of textile waste. Textile service provider Mewa has always integrated the repairability of workwear into its range of services.
Repair service is part of the textile service routine
Mewa's all-round service for workwear and protective clothing already meets the requirements of the "right to repair" in many respects. In addition to the replacement of fasteners and the repair of torn areas, this also includes the replacement of entire items of clothing such as pockets, sleeves or cuffs. Suitable repair kits are produced at the same time. Even protective clothing can be safely repaired. It is common practice to recycle discarded items of clothing in order to reuse parts that are still in good working order. "When you consider that around 5.8 million tons of textiles become waste in Europe every year, repair clearly scores over recycling in terms of sustainability," explains Wolfgang Quednau, Managing Partner of Betreuungsgesellschaft für textiltechnische Anwendungen GmbH (BTTA).
Less resource consumption due to longevity
In the manufacture of textiles, most resources are consumed during the production of the raw materials. The longer an item of clothing is used, the lower the relative environmental impact. "In the case of professional textiles, which are subject to much greater wear and tear than fashion clothing, proven durability can only be achieved with high-quality, repairable clothing," says textile engineer Wolfgang Quednau. In order to have more influence on the quality of the textiles, Mewa has its own product development department for workwear and protective clothing. New materials are subjected to intensive physical tests before they are used. "If workwear can withstand numerous cycles of use without significant loss of appearance or functionality, this not only contributes to sustainability, but also saves costs. Customers benefit from both," says Wolfgang Quednau.
Recyclability is a major research topic
As a sustainably oriented textile service provider, Mewa is pursuing various research approaches into the possible uses of recycled materials and the reprocessing of fibers from discarded textiles. However, there are still limits to recycling. One major challenge is the quality of the recycled materials, as Dr. Diana Wolf, Research & Development at Mewa, explains. On the one hand, this involves strength, which is urgently required for workwear, and on the other hand, dyeing behavior. "Reused materials must be equivalent to non-recycled source products," says Diana Wolf, describing the research objective.
A closed textile cycle
Mewa is currently involved in a research project of the Jülich Project Management Agency, with the TU Braunschweig and the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences as scientific partners. The project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is dedicated to the possibility of chemically recycling polyester from fiber blends back into reusable fibers (funding code: 033R408A). "We want to enable what is known as 'textile-to-textile' recycling. This could turn old polyester-cotton blended fabrics into material for new fabrics. That would be a milestone on the way to a truly holistic textile circular economy," explains Diana Wolf. She is confident that the requirements of the new delegated act for textiles to the Ecodesign Regulation will noticeably accelerate the development of improved recycling processes for textiles.
Source: www.mewa.ch
