Recycled Fibres: Machinery And Services Promoting Circular Practices
Swiss manufacturers are at the forefront of providing tailor-made solutions for achieving circularity in textile production. With an increasing demand from end-users for recycled materials in textile products, innovation is driving the industry forward. Despite the technical and economic challenges faced by yarn and fabric producers using recycled resources, members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association offer effective solutions to these hurdles. Companies like Rieter, Autefa, Steiger, Uster Technologies and Stäubli are leading the charge in supporting the processing of recycled fibres to meet stringent quality standards.
When it comes to synthetic recycled materials like PET, the treatment process is typically similar to that of new yarn. However, complexities arise with natural fibres such as wool and cotton. There is a growing trend towards mechanically recycled wool and cotton fibres, and companies like Rieter, Autefa, Steiger, and Uster Technologies are pioneering advancements in processing such materials. These firms provide machinery and services that facilitate the further processing of recycled fibres, ensuring they meet the required quality benchmarks. Stäubli, a member of the Swiss Textile Machinery, exemplifies a commitment to circularity concepts throughout its operations.
Processing recycled cotton presents specific quality considerations, including higher levels of short fibres and neps, as well as potential coloration, especially in post-consumer material. While rotor spinning machines can handle short fibres effectively, ring spinning poses challenges due to the difficulty of guiding short fibres through the drafting zone. Rieter offers solutions to address these challenges, particularly in maintaining yarn quality and integrity.
In the case of recycled wool, mechanical procedures such as shredding and re-spinning influence the quality and characteristics of the resulting yarn. However, these operations may diminish the strength and durability of the yarn, making it more susceptible to breakage during knitting. Steiger conducts continuous testing of new yarns to ensure their suitability for processing on knitting machines, highlighting the importance of adapting machinery to accommodate recycled materials.
Nonwovens technology, born partly from the idea of recycling textile waste, offers a sustainable solution for processing recycled fibres into fabric structures. Autefa Solutions provides comprehensive nonwovens lines capable of processing mechanically and chemically recycled fibres, contributing to a closed-loop production cycle where fibres are reused multiple times for various products.
Overall, the machinery and services offered by Swiss Textile Machinery members play a crucial role in supporting the circular economy’s efforts to process recycled fibres. With decades of expertise and a commitment to innovation and quality standards, these companies are driving sustainable practices across the textile industry. Stäubli’s global ESG strategy underscores the importance of environmental responsibility and sets key performance indicators related to energy consumption, machine longevity and recyclability. With machine recyclability rates ranging from 96 to 99%, Swiss Textile Machinery members are leading the charge towards a more sustainable and circular future.
