Reuse of textiles in their existing material form (i.e. as a yarn, fabric or component) to create other product(s) of higher value, quality, or functionality than the original constituent parts. Reuse can encompass 'remanufacturing' and 'remaking'.
Whilst the fibre-to-fibre recycling industry is still developing, businesses must prioritise reusing textile materials to tackle the increasing footprint of the textile industry.
-
Remanufacture/ Remaking
The operation by which a product is created from existing products or components to create something new by disassembling and repurposing.
This can also include the refurbishment of a product to ‘as new’ condition, including updates through re-dyeing and alterations.
- Remaking has multiple environmental benefits:
- It displaces virgin raw materials
- It reduces the need for recycling
- It diverts textiles from landfill.
- In the UK the remanufacturing market is mainly made up of a growing community of small businesses and designers who provide niche products. Although long-standing in time and practice, remanufacturing does not yet have significant market share to be considered established.
- It is recognised within the industry that this is one of the least developed CBMs operating at scale. There is therefore a need for brands, retailers and businesses operating in this space to explore knowledge and skills gaps and to empower the whole supply chain to remanufacture at scale.
- With the emergence of brands and retailers exploring upcycled ranges in recent years, citizen’s awareness and therefore demand, may start to increase.
- Citizens are motivated by the lower environmental impact of upcycled, pre-loved and repair models.
Remanufacturing/remaking: ready to take action? Check out the next steps for your business…
-
Use repurposed materials.
To reduce the environmental footprint of a product, the first step is to reduce the impacts of the raw materials. Use materials that already exist, such as surplus materials and faulty or vintage fabric yardage, as this removes the impacts of producing new fibres all together.
-
Collaborate with others to make the most from resources, particularly manufacturers.
Optimise the use of resources in production and recycle them back into the system.
Alongside the environmental benefits, optimising the use of resources can also bring potential cost savings to you and your suppliers by using less energy and water in production processes and using materials more efficiently. For more information see: WRAP’s Design for Circularity Toolkit. -
Consider disassembly and modularity design strategies, to aid remanufacturing.
Design products to allow the materials to be recovered, so they can be remanufactured and recycled back into new products and textile materials at the end of their usable life. Disassembly and modularity techniques can be used to allow cosmetic changes to be made to a product to update its appearance, as trends and the customer’s tastes change over time.
For more information see WRAP’s Design for Circularity Toolkit. -
Raise awareness of any repair and repurposing/ remanufacturing services available to citizens.
Encourage citizens to consider these options over buying new, as this has the potential to displace the sale of items made from new materials.