Research through Practice: Challenges in the spinning process with recycled fibres

The textile industry is confronted with an increasing amount of used textiles, so-called "post-consumer waste" (PCW), which the end consumer returns after the use phase or disposes of as waste. In the Texcircle research project, solutions for the multifactorial challenge of PCW are being developed in a Swiss cluster with several industry partners. The aim is to close the textile loop within the cluster and cooperate with other partners. The project builds a bridge between research results, production and the market and thus undergoes an immediate "reality check". Furthermore, it contributes to future initiatives and strengthens the circular economy by identifying the specific challenges and providing first approaches to solutions at the design, process and product level.  This presentation focuses on the research carried out in the Texcircle project at spinning level. It gives an insight into the test spinning of yarns made from PCW and highlights the main differences and challenges compared to conventional spinning with virgin fibres. In cooperation with the Texcircle project team, the different process steps of tearing and spinning PCW from different material sources into OE and ring yarns for applications in knitting and weaving were investigated. The focus is on the scalability of PCW material and the hurdles that have to be overcome at the spinning process stage. The presentation shows why the definition of the end products has to be adapted to the yarn qualities and explains why the yarns produced from recycled material cannot be compared to usual quality standards.