In the history of mankind there have been numerous changes that have involved the modification of the status quo. Normally all these changes have been for economic, political, social reasons, trying to solve and improve our lives, and in the field of recycled yarn this is no exception.
Environmental awareness and commitment
The last decades, in the vast majority of “first world” countries, have been very prosperous and society has been immersed in a dynamic of uncontrolled consumerism.
In Spain in particular, we have gone from a post-war period in which it was common to live with rag-pickers, who went around the villages to give a second life to the textiles that citizens were no longer using, to in just 80 years discarding close to a million tonnes of textiles a year.
Although there are many companies that have been working in the field of recycling for more than 50 years, Vilarrasa among them, it is only now that the demand for recycled products by society and textile companies has increased considerably.
Why has this happened and why should textile companies start working with recycled yarns?
A shift in the textile industry towards more circular solutions
In our opinion, the first of the reasons is to respond to the current demand from society, which is highly aware of the negative impact of the sector on the environment. According to the 2017 Global Fashion Agenda Report, the forecast is that in 2030 the global consumption of textile products will be 102 million tonnes per year (+63% vs. 2015), that water consumption by the textile industry will be 118 million cubic metres per year (+50% vs. 2015) and that the generation of carbon dioxide will be 2,791 million tonnes per year (+63% vs. 2015). It is clear that it is not sustainable to continue working with conventional yarns.
On the other hand, the administrations have started to take action on the matter, the European directive 2018/851, establishes that the member states must carry out a separate collection of textile waste by 1 January 2025. By the same date, the target of recycling at least 55% by weight of textile waste is set. These directives will undoubtedly motivate companies in the sector to work with recycled yarns, if they have not already done so.
Debunking the myths about the quality of recycled yarn
At Vilarrasa we consider that the above arguments should be sufficient, but we are aware that resistance to change is always present and that undoubtedly anyone who has not worked with recycled yarns before will think that they are of poorer quality than virgin yarns. Our opinion in this sense is categorical, associating recycled yarns with low quality is a mistake. It is an erroneous belief that we have been living with for years and our customers can vouch for it. The properties of a recycled yarn are not the same as those of a virgin yarn, but they can be equivalent and at Vilarrasa we can help those who are starting out in the wonderful world of recycling, offering them the most suitable high quality recycled yarn to make their textile products.
Let’s talk, we will be happy to advise you!
