Road to 100
To reduce environmental damage, the fashion industry is moving from a linear supply chain towards a more circular supply chain in which textile waste is used as a source for new products. This is also the case for the denim industry. Fashion and jeans brands are creating denim with recycled content. The recently signed Denim Deal demonstrates the ambition from the Dutch government to stimulate the transition towards a the circular economy in the textile industry.
The sustainable jeans brand MUD Jeans has incorporated mechanically recycled fibers in their denim fabrics. The yarns made from these mechanically recycled fibers often have a lower strength than yarns containing only virgin fibers. In order to maintain sufficient quality, the mechanically recycled fibers have to be blended with virgin fibers. To increase the content of recycled fibers mechanically recycled fibers could be combined with chemically recycled fibers. In this project, we investigate how mechanical recycled fibers can be blended with chemically recycled cotton fibers to increase the recycled fiber content and the strength of the yarn.
Goal
MUD Jeans wants to lead the denim industry towards a circular economy and would like to produce denim with as much recycled content as possible. The goal of this project is the production of a pair of jeans made from 100% post-consumer recycled fibers that meets the quality standards of MUD Jeans. The requirements of MUD Jeans and their industry partners will be used to set the quality standards for the yarns, fabric and jeans. This research could therefore serve as an example for the denim industry and could present the jeans of the future. The knowledge gained can be implemented directly in MUD Jeans’ supply chain and will be used in the textile education F&TT and ITD at Saxion.
Duration
The project runs from January 2021 till January 2022.
More information
For more information about the project Road to 100, the development of a Jeans from 100% (post-consumer) recycled denim, please contact Jens Oelerich.
Partners and grand providers:
