Swedish Major H&M’s Research Funding Helps Attain Sustainable Recycling Of Used Garments

Machinery and Technology

Swedish Major H&M’s Research Funding Helps Attain Sustainable Recycling Of Used Garments

Research technologists at the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) have come up with a novel solution for saving resources for manufacture of fresh garments and apparel by hitting up on a eco-friendly way of recycling used garments.

This technology permits recycling of used or old garments without resulting in any loss of quality. This discovery is most likely to be put to use by the textile industry for reducing dependence on availability of raw materials like cotton to manufacture yarn and fabrics.

Prior to the advent of this technology, textile industry majors were unable to avail of recycling in a commercially viable manner. This proved to be a deterrent to the industry when it came to separation, sorting and recycling of old garments.

An official from HKRITA was of the opinion that this solution should be hailed as a revolutionary breakthrough for the fashion industry. “This will go a long way in assisting the fashion industry in pursuing sustainability,” he added.

The key player in HKRITA’s research work is the H&M Foundation which awarded the research unit an estimated funding of 5.8 million Euros. The funding enabled the researchers to arrive at this eco-friendly innovation that will in future be licensed commercially to target global markets with high impact.

Used textiles and garments being made to supply quality textile goods of high value by the process referred to as upcycling will help us to a large extent in cutting down on use of virgin materials to cater to the needs of a growing global population,” the research company spokesperson added.

The most salient feature of this technology is that the recycling technique adopted is cost effective and does not generate any secondary pollution in the environment. This is regarded as a reassuring feature as it extends the life of the recycled material in a sustainable manner.

The Swedish textile major, H&M expressed the view that this technology will be a boon as right now the fashion world is availing of more resources that the planet allows.