Sustainable business practices are becoming increasingly more important in society. A greater focus of attention now goes out to sustainable alternatives, both in our private and our professional lives.
In spite of the fact that sustainability is increasingly becoming an element of consideration in our everyday lives, it is not always easy to pick the most sustainable solution. A lot of the time, it is not clear which solution is the most sustainable, or the sustainable products are more expensive than others, which may prove to be a stumbling block to many.
Circular or recycled?
In the case of recycling, the various raw materials of a product are separated, after which the resulting materials are reused in the production cycle, serving as feedstock for equivalent or other products.
A circular economy is an economic and industrial system in which no raw materials are lost and there is no waste. The materials are the result of recycling or are bio-based and in all cases are reused to produce equivalent products. At the end of their service life, they are either recyclable or degradable. The energy required to power a circular economy derives from renewable sources, i.e. solar and wind.
In a nutshell: where workwear is made from the fibres recycled from workwear, this is referred to as a (potentially) circular product. Where a pair of work trousers is made from a PET bottle, whereby the raw material is subsequently reused to produce a city bench, this is referred to as recycling.
Our dream is to put in place a circular economy. Sadly, this is yet to become a reality for some industries, including the textile industry. The recycling process of textiles is so complex that it is by no means easy to manufacture clothing that can be recycled, which makes the textile industry one of the world’s biggest polluters.
40% recycling, 60% sold on the second-hand market
The difficulty of the recycling process is to do with a number of factors:
- The combined use of different materials in one material (e.g., cotton/polyester)
- The amount of textile that is needed to be able to recycle this material,
- etc.
Recycling textile to textile is anything but straightforward.
Did you know that just 40% of the garments you donate ends up in the recycling circuit? And in a lot of cases, this recycling circuit is a defibration company that turns the textile fibres into felt that is used to stuff seats for example.
The remaining 60 % of the garments is sold on the second-hand market. Also sustainable, albeit not quite what most of us would imagine happens to our old clothes when we drop them off in a container.
How are textiles recycled?
The very first step to recycling a piece of clothing is to remove other materials such as zippers, printed or embroidered logos, press studs and buttons, reflective stripes, etc. All of which need to be cut out by hand or using machines piece by piece, which is hugely time-consuming.
Once this step is out of the way, we are looking at the actual recycling.
Mechanical recycling
The garment (remnants) are literally shredded apart in large drums fitted with pins inside. After x runs, all that is left are fibres that are matted together.
Chemical recycling
Most workwear nowadays is made from a variety of different fibres, such as polyester and cotton. After mechanical recycling, the quality of the cotton fibre is very moderate. Chemically dissolving cotton and turning it into a regenerated fibre (such as viscose, modal, etc.) produces a better quality fibre.
Thermal recycling
Polyester is a melt fibre which you could melt into polyester granules which in turn can be used to spin into new polyester yarn.
So why is it this difficult?
The complexity of the process
An example:
Glass is easy to recycle. Simply unscrew the cap of the jar and you are left with one material which is then assigned to either clear glass or tinted glass. This glass is melted and can be reused – without sacrificing on quality – to be turned into glass jars, bottles, vases, etc.
A pair of work trousers, a work jacket or a set of overalls is often made from a blend of cotton, polyester, elastane, modacryl, aramid, etc. and comes in a wide range of colours. Wholesale buyers of recycled fibres sooner tend to be interested in (large) batches of 1 fibre or even 1 colour, as no new dyes are required in the latter case (if the mix is multi-coloured, the fibre will first need to be bleached before it can be redyed). The path from a multicoloured clothing selection to arrive at a recycled fibre, is much more complicated and requires a lot more “material” than is the case with glass or paper for instance.
After all, each fibre also has its own processing path (mechanical, thermal, chemical).
All of the factors combined mean that as little as 8 kg of textiles pro capita are recycled (per year). Which is not even 1/3rd of the volume in glass that is recycled pro capita per year.
Applicable laws and regulations on protective clothing
In the manufacturing industry, recycling textiles is even more of a challenge.
Fouling
Workwear used in some sectors is so fouled that it cannot be reused and ends up being incinerated right away (e.g. chemical industry).
Government-imposed restrictions
Moreover, nowadays recycled fibres are no longer allowed to be used in fall protection devices for instance. The standard requires manufacturers to use newly produced materials.
The importance of colour-fastness for visibility
In this respect too, colour-fastness plays a key part. In a lot of case, visibility clothing needs to be replaced because the hi-vis colour has faded. People that work on the rail road tracks or the highways need to buy new workwear on a regular basis because the fluorescent parts are no longer sufficiently visible. This is the result of the degree of fouling which can no longer be removed or industrial washing cycles which cause the colours to fade.
Hazardous/toxic substances
In addition to the recycling from textile to textile, textile waste is also used to make derivative products such as sandwich wrap, for instance. In this respect, the quality of the fabric is less important as the fibres are “glued together” with beeswax. This is not an issue with clothes from the private sector, but for protective clothing that may have come into contact with harmful substances this is obviously impossible.
How to make the most sustainable choice for your workwear?
The biggest challenge in the procurement of sustainable products is to spot greenwashing. In the case of greenwashing, a company is seen to paint a socially more responsible picture of itself than it is in reality.
For instance, a product which contains just 1% natural products can still rightly be called a “natural product”. Thankfully, governments are taking an increasingly stricter stance against greenwashing. In the Netherlands and France, fines are already being imposed for this kind of conduct.
Needless to say, there are number of elements which you may consider yourself in deciding on workwear and/or the design to make the process as sustainable as possible:
1. Minimising raw materials
Try and purchase minimum number of pieces (per person) and produce only what is actually needed. You do so by limiting the number of available sizes and lengths. Doing so stops you from storing large stocks which may never end up being used in due course.
2. Go for sustainable raw materials
The main thing to remember is: the fewer different fibres, the better.
Try replacing cotton with lyocell. Lyocell is a viscose-like fibre with an ecological footprint that is smaller than that of cotton. Lyocell is also a more comfortable wear and retains its colour for longer.
In addition, we advise against using elastane. Elastane disrupts the mechanical recycling process and is not recyclable as a feedstock.
3. Do not unnecessarily go for colour
If colour is not really needed, go for undyed and unbleached textiles.
4. Limit the number of logos
Prints hamper the recycling process and may see to it that a piece of clothing can no longer be worn. This includes situations where the logo needs to be changed as a result of which all clothing items carrying the old logo are ready to be discarded.
If you do use logos, make sure the logos are not applied until you are certain that the clothing items will actually be used. This avoids carrying a full stock which may end up having to be destroyed.
5. Minimise transport
Have your deliveries grouped. This leave you free to order whenever you like and all orders are delivered on a set day (per week, month, etc.) of your choosing. To minimise the number of returns you can use the Fitle tool that allows you to determine the size of clothes as accurately as possible. This has a big impact on your CO2 emissions.
6. Minimise packaging
- Delivery frequency – km: Transport and packaging go hand in hand. The less frequent the delivery frequency, the more products go into a single packaging unit.
- Full cardboard boxes from the manufacturer – less cardboard required: Full cardboard boxes from the manufacturer to the end user require less cardboard than repacking because we use the original cardboard boxes to dispatch our orders.
- No small orders – this means boxes are better filled and require less padding: The empty space inside boxes in all cases needs to be filled to prevent denting during transport. For large orders, packing can be optimised: select the box sizes in consideration of volume, minimisation of padding, etc.
7. The longer the product lasts, the more ecological it is
Properly performed repairs of protective clothing are authorised and possible. Continue to wear a piece of clothing for as long as possible by carrying out repairs when necessary. After a wash, workwear items that are still safe are still perfectly wearable by another colleague. Also worth knowing is that cheap rarely means better value. A sustainable piece of clothing may be more expensive to purchase, but it lasts longer, and in the end it still works out cheaper.
8. Maintenance
Proper maintenance ensures your workwear lasts longer. Which is why it is very important to have your workwear properly (LCO2) washed by an industrial laundry. They observe environmental regulations and see to it that the hi-vis parts remain properly visible for longer. Going overboard on the number of washes is not good either. So only have fouled workwear washed.
In very polluting industries, workwear may need to be washed with LCO2 on a regular basis to stop the workwear from having to end up in the incinerator because it is simply too fouled.
9. End of Life
Be aware of what happens to your piece of clothing after you discard it. If you want your workwear to be recycled, be sure to have it cleaned before removing it from circulation. Highly fouled workwear is incinerated in all cases any way.
The Belgian government is currently considering the imposition of a contribution when handing in used clothes, comparable to the recupel contribution for household appliances and electronics.
Circletex vzw (not-for-profit organisation) is working on a proposal for collecting this contribution (driven by the textile industry). They are set to start with the focus on flatwork (anything that is strictly flat bits of textiles, such as sheets, napkins, etc.) workwear and protective products that contain textiles, also referred to as professional textiles.
If you remember one thing from this article, then let it be the fact that the most sustainable piece of clothing is still the piece of clothing that lasts longest. The most important thing you can do is to extend the service life of products by:
- Opting for quality materials
- Properly maintaining them
- Opting for pieces of clothing that fit
Keen to learn more about sustainable health and safety?
Vandeputte is an independent health and safety expert. We are happy to advise on the currently available solutions that already exist. We are on hand to assist you with making a deliberate choice that is best suited to you and your company.
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