Resortecs - the tech solution to reduce fashion waste

by Startacus Admin

Recycling made easy thanks to Resortecs, a startup that's developed an innovative solution to enable high-quality textile recycling on an industrial scale.

We have written in the past about how damaging to the environment the textile and fashion industries are, as well as numerous startups being created to combat the issue at various points along the journey, from base materials to completed, worn, discarded clothing. This latter part of the journey, where clothes are no longer wanted and are thrown away, is one in which only a miniscule 1% of clothing gets recycled into new products. 

As usual, to really get the attention of an industry, the monetary costs have to be pointed out, and in this case, 99% of that discarded clothing going to landfills, incinerators, or into lower-quality products results in an estimated $100 billion in lost materials every year.

Brussels-based fashion-tech startup Resortecs in combating this issue by enabling automated, high-quality textile recycling on an industrial scale. Their solutions start with the way clothing is stitched together, and end with technology that takes them apart again. 

The startup has developed ‘Smart Stitch’, which is thread just as strong as traditional thread used in clothing, but which dissolves at high temperature - between 150-200 Celsius, depending on the thread. This means that at the end of the garment’s life, it can be put into Resortecs’ low-emission thermal disassembly system - which can take up to 500kg at a time - to dissolve away those threads and be left with recyclable materials, be it buttons, zippers, entire pockets, or any other piece of the garment that is still in good condition.

This reclamation system allows recyclers to get back up to 90% of a garment’s materials, and is 5 times faster than traditional disassembly methods. On top of this, it reduces emissions by half, water usage by 75%, and can cut textile waste by up to 80%.

This circular system saves not only in emissions and energy and waste, but every piece of reclaimed, reusable material represents a time and monetary saving to the manufacturer, allowing them to continue to create high-quality products, more cost-effectively.

 

 

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Published on: 26th May 2022