PolyCycle: Advancing Sustainable Cycling Apparel through Recycled Polyamide Innovation

AI Quick Summary

Developing innovative methods for the selective separation of polyamide (PA) from textile blends addresses a critical need in the fashion industry for sustainable recycling solutions. Current recycling methods often fail to preserve the integrity of each polymer, limiting their potential for reuse in high-quality applications. The goal of this project is to address and mitigate CO2 emissions and waste within the textile lifecycle. The project will begin by identifying the key steps in the textile production and end-of-life (EoL) stages that contribute significantly to CO2 emissions. By pinpointing these areas, strategies to reduce emissions and eliminate waste will be developed and implemented.A core focus will be on collecting and valorizing textile waste from both the production process and EoL stages. This includes developing innovative processes for polymer recovery that ensure material purity and quality are maintained throughout the recycling process.This approach not only contributes to environmental sustainability but also promotes innovative, scalable recycling solutions for the textile sector. In addition, the project will seek industrial partners to scale up these processes, ensuring that they can be implemented on a larger, commercial scale. The ultimate goal is to create a circular economy model for textiles that significantly reduces waste, lowers CO2 emissions, and maximizes resource efficiency across the industry. Idea description:What problem would you like to solve?​Starting in 2025, used textiles are to be collected and recycled throughout the EU. The EU has been advancing its policies to improve textile recycling and waste management, particularly through the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, introduced in 2022. One of the most important regulatory updates is the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles, which was proposed in July 2023. This directive makes producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of textile products, from design to end-of-life, ensuring that they finance the collection, sorting, and recycling of textile waste. This approach incentivizes producers to make textiles more durable, repairable, and recyclable. Improved recycling processes are urgently needed to deal with the huge amount of textiles that will then be produced in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. The recycling of mixed textiles is difficult - especially if they contain elastane. In this proposed project, we are targeting at process development to separate cycling textile waste (primarily PA and elastane). Thus we can minimize fabric waste be discarded or incinerated, which generate pollution and CO2 emission.How does the proposed solution solve the problem?Assos of Switzerland, leader in the field of cycling apparel, produces the world’s most technologically advanced cycling apparel. The aim of the company is to pursue performance being more sustainable.Through the new chemical process, we are developing method to create new material from waste, thus eliminate waste and decrease CO2 emission. Through the value chain, we target at the EoL, by creating value from waste, and reinforce the competence of the brand. By enabling the recovery and recycling of PA in a pure form, this method supports a circular economy in the fashion industry, reducing waste and decreasing reliance on virgin materials. Who are the customers / users and what are the benefits?​ Customers of recycled polyamide cycling apparel range from sustainability-focused individuals to professional athletes, and the benefits include environmental impact reduction, high performance, comfort, and durability. The main users could be summarized as Eco-conscious Cyclists who prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility, Ethical Consumers who are focus on the social and environmental impacts of the products they buy but also Professional and Competitive Cyclists since recycled polyamide can meet performance standards while also addressing sustainability, which is increasingly important in the athletic community.How does your challenge and proposed solution address the needs of Fashion & Lifestyle industry (incl. research, society and end users)?Recovering polyamide from production fabric scrap addresses key needs in both the cycling market and the fashion & lifestyle industry in several ways, aligning with performance, environmental sustainability, and consumer trends. This research focuses on designing a targeted separation process that utilizes selective solvent dissolution, mild thermal treatment, and optimized chemical conditions to efficiently isolate PA without degrading its properties. This project will benefit under many aspects:Performance: recycled polyamide maintains the high-performance qualities needed for cycling and activewear (durability, flexibility, lightweight) while being adaptable to fashion needs in terms of aesthetics and design flexibility.Environment: reducing fabric waste and minimizing the need for virgin materials helps lower the overall environmental impact of both industries, responding to increasing pressure for sustainability.Overall, expanding the project out from the cycling market, recovering polyamide from fabric scraps, supports the clothing industry's shift towards a circular economy, where materials are continuously reused and repurposed, rather than being discarded. Brands that adopt this model can promote their efforts toward closing the loop, which resonates with consumers looking to support ethical brands.Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)How does the idea contribute to or align with specific Sustainable Development Goals?Our project plans impact towards several SDG goals as described below:Goal 9: Both the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Abeba Action Agenda focus on the relevance of inclusive and sustainable industrial development as the basis for sustainable economic growth. This project is linked to Sustainable Development, as we are targeting development of fully recyclable PA for cycling sport wear. Goal 12: We will ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns by reducing waste problems, pollution and the use of new resources.Goal 13: The repair and reuse of PA will contribute to saving energy used for production and CO2 emission when wastes are incinerated, then it helps to combat climate change and its impacts.Implementation and risks:What is your Innovation Idea workplan and milestones? Polyamide's distinct chemical properties—its high thermal stability, reactivity to hydrolysis, strong hydrogen bonding, and pH sensitivity—enable its efficient separation and recycling from textile or polymer waste. These characteristics form the basis for both chemical and thermal recycling methods, facilitating more sustainable and efficient recovery processes. The presence of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds in polyamides, due to their amide groups (-CONH-), contributes significantly to their mechanical strength and thermal stability. In addition, these strong bonds make PA fibers more challenging to dissolve, which enable the possibility of non-destructive recycling via selective dissolution (Figure 1a). The proposed dissolution recycling processes exploit solvents (ionic liquids) capable of dissolving elastane, facilitating the unraveling of the textile network while ensuring the separation of PA from other materials in the solution stream. Moreover, PAs exhibit high thermal stability, with melting points ranging from 215°C to 270°C. This high thermal resistance enables polyamide to be efficiently separated from lower-melting-point polymers during recycling without compromising its structural integrity. In a worst case scenario, when non-destructive method could not achieve desired purity of the recycled PA, destructive methods like pyrolysis and thermal depolymerization will be explored. In catalyst–assisted hydrolysis, elastane will be depolymerized at elevated temperatures in the presence of solvent, breaking down into monomers which dissolve in the solvent, and PA could be participate down from the mixture. Leveraging the distinct chemical properties of the different polymers, we aim to develop primarily a dissolution method that selectively separates polyamide (PA) from a PA-elastane mixture through thermal dissolution. By optimizing the solvent and thermal conditions, we plan to take advantage of PA’s thermal stability and solubility to achieve efficient separation while preserving the integrity of both components. The project will be carried out in mainly three step: waste material characterization, non-destructive separation process development, and quality control for reuse, as demonstrated in Figure 1b.Figure 1 (see the pdf file). (a) The polymer composition of the targeted cycling clothes waste, with the planned chemical pathways (non-destructive and destructive) of the recycling strategies, and (b) the accordant work plan for the primary non-destructive pathway. The milestones are listed below:1kg polymer recovery feasibility study accomplished;the recycled PA with purity >95%, comfirmed using chemical and mechanical characterization.What are the risks? Risks are mainly related to 2 topics: quality and economy. Recycled polyamide may have lower mechanical properties compared to virgin polyamide. Polyamide can undergo thermal and chemical degradation, resulting in weaker fibers. This can lead to reduced strength, durability, or flexibility, which is critical in performance-based industries like cycling apparel. In order to limit this risk the mitigation plan could predict the blend of recycled polyamide with a small percentage of virgin material to enhance strength without compromising sustainability. Otherwise the fabric with poorer polyamide could be addressed to garments where the elasticity and the friction are less impactful.The recycling process for polyamide could be more expensive than producing virgin polyamide, especially if extensive cleaning, sorting, or chemical treatment is needed. These higher production costs can make recycled polyamide less competitive unless consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. This risk could be mitigate scaling up the recycling operation to reduce unit costs over time. As volume increases, the cost per unit should decrease, improving overall economic viabilityResources:What is your estimation considering needed resources and work packages?EMPA Team to develop the process and the study of feasibilityChemical: solvents, reactorsAnalytic infrastructureMan force: master student & technician for the processingYARN Producer: to check the quality of the recovered polyamideHow are you planning to spend the innovation booster awarded amount in case you will win the application?We plan to spend the amount on EMPA side to finance the chemical process development, involving additional technician and a master student already trained.Generally speaking, how can the Innovation Booster – Fashion & Lifestyle help you?The Innovation Booster – Fashion & Lifestyle is the way to support the development of new concepts, prototypes, or early-stage products, making it easier to test innovative ideas without significant financial risk.It’s also a momentum to facilitate connections with other industry players, including brands, manufacturers, and suppliers; it’s also a way to encourage projects that focus on sustainable materials, recycling, circularity, and energy-efficient production methods, providing both guidance and funding for eco-friendly initiatives.Only thanks to this event Assos of Switzerland had the possibility to enter in contact with EMPA. The fusion between company needs and the knowledge of the Institute will elevate the possibility to build up a real, strong, project to decrease CO2 emission and develop sustainable products.

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: PolyCycle: Advancing Sustainable Cycling Apparel through Recycled Polyamide Innovation
• Date: 8/29/2024 9:35:43 PM
• Administrators:

Project Idea Description

Idea description:

• What problem would you like to solve?​

Starting in 2025, used textiles are to be collected and recycled throughout the EU. The EU has been advancing its policies to improve textile recycling and waste management, particularly through the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, introduced in 2022. One of the most important regulatory updates is the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles, which was proposed in July 2023. This directive makes producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of textile products, from design to end-of-life, ensuring that they finance the collection, sorting, and recycling of textile waste. This approach incentivizes producers to make textiles more durable, repairable, and recyclable.

Improved recycling processes are urgently needed to deal with the huge amount of textiles that will then be produced in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. The recycling of mixed textiles is difficult - especially if they contain elastane. In this proposed project, we are targeting at process development to separate cycling textile waste (primarily PA and elastane). Thus we can minimize fabric waste be discarded or incinerated, which generate pollution and CO₂ emission.

• How does the proposed solution solve the problem?

Assos of Switzerland, leader in the field of cycling apparel, produces the world’s most technologically advanced cycling apparel. The aim of the company is to pursue performance being more sustainable.

Through the new chemical process, we are developing method to create new material from waste, thus eliminate waste and decrease CO₂ emission. Through the value chain, we target at the EoL, by creating value from waste, and reinforce the competence of the brand. By enabling the recovery and recycling of PA in a pure form, this method supports a circular economy in the fashion industry, reducing waste and decreasing reliance on virgin materials.

• Who are the customers / users and what are the benefits?​

Customers of recycled polyamide cycling apparel range from sustainability-focused individuals to professional athletes, and the benefits include environmental impact reduction, high performance, comfort, and durability. The main users could be summarized as Eco-conscious Cyclists who prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility, Ethical Consumers who are focus on the social and environmental impacts of the products they buy but also Professional and Competitive Cyclists since recycled polyamide can meet performance standards while also addressing sustainability, which is increasingly important in the athletic community.

• How does your challenge and proposed solution address the needs of Fashion & Lifestyle industry (incl. research, society and end users)?

Recovering polyamide from production fabric scrap addresses key needs in both the cycling market and the fashion & lifestyle industry in several ways, aligning with performance, environmental sustainability, and consumer trends. This research focuses on designing a targeted separation process that utilizes selective solvent dissolution, mild thermal treatment, and optimized chemical conditions to efficiently isolate PA without degrading its properties. This project will benefit under many aspects:

Performance: recycled polyamide maintains the high-performance qualities needed for cycling and activewear (durability, flexibility, lightweight) while being adaptable to fashion needs in terms of aesthetics and design flexibility.

Environment: reducing fabric waste and minimizing the need for virgin materials helps lower the overall environmental impact of both industries, responding to increasing pressure for sustainability.

Overall, expanding the project out from the cycling market, recovering polyamide from fabric scraps, supports the clothing industry's shift towards a circular economy, where materials are continuously reused and repurposed, rather than being discarded. Brands that adopt this model can promote their efforts toward closing the loop, which resonates with consumers looking to support ethical brands.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• How does the idea contribute to or align with specific Sustainable Development Goals?

Our project plans impact towards several SDG goals as described below:

Goal 9: Both the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Abeba Action Agenda focus on the relevance of inclusive and sustainable industrial development as the basis for sustainable economic growth. This project is linked to Sustainable Development, as we are targeting development of fully recyclable PA for cycling sport wear.

Goal 12: We will ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns by reducing waste problems, pollution and the use of new resources.

Goal 13: The repair and reuse of PA will contribute to saving energy used for production and CO₂ emission when wastes are incinerated, then it helps to combat climate change and its impacts.

Implementation and risks:

• What is your Innovation Idea workplan and milestones?

Polyamide's distinct chemical properties—its high thermal stability, reactivity to hydrolysis, strong hydrogen bonding, and pH sensitivity—enable its efficient separation and recycling from textile or polymer waste. These characteristics form the basis for both chemical and thermal recycling methods, facilitating more sustainable and efficient recovery processes. The presence of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds in polyamides, due to their amide groups (-CONH-), contributes significantly to their mechanical strength and thermal stability. In addition, these strong bonds make PA fibers more challenging to dissolve, which enable the possibility of non-destructive recycling via selective dissolution (Figure 1a). The proposed dissolution recycling processes exploit solvents (ionic liquids) capable of dissolving elastane, facilitating the unraveling of the textile network while ensuring the separation of PA from other materials in the solution stream. Moreover, PAs exhibit high thermal stability, with melting points ranging from 215°C to 270°C. This high thermal resistance enables polyamide to be efficiently separated from lower-melting-point polymers during recycling without compromising its structural integrity. In a worst case scenario, when non-destructive method could not achieve desired purity of the recycled PA, destructive methods like pyrolysis and thermal depolymerization will be explored. In catalyst–assisted hydrolysis, elastane will be depolymerized at elevated temperatures in the presence of solvent, breaking down into monomers which dissolve in the solvent, and PA could be participate down from the mixture.

Leveraging the distinct chemical properties of the different polymers, we aim to develop primarily a dissolution method that selectively separates polyamide (PA) from a PA-elastane mixture through thermal dissolution. By optimizing the solvent and thermal conditions, we plan to take advantage of PA’s thermal stability and solubility to achieve efficient separation while preserving the integrity of both components. The project will be carried out in mainly three step: waste material characterization, non-destructive separation process development, and quality control for reuse, as demonstrated in Figure 1b.

Figure 1 (see the pdf file). (a) The polymer composition of the targeted cycling clothes waste, with the planned chemical pathways (non-destructive and destructive) of the recycling strategies, and (b) the accordant work plan for the primary non-destructive pathway.

The milestones are listed below:

• 1kg polymer recovery feasibility study accomplished;
• the recycled PA with purity >95%, comfirmed using chemical and mechanical characterization.

• What are the risks?

Risks are mainly related to 2 topics: quality and economy. Recycled polyamide may have lower mechanical properties compared to virgin polyamide. Polyamide can undergo thermal and chemical degradation, resulting in weaker fibers. This can lead to reduced strength, durability, or flexibility, which is critical in performance-based industries like cycling apparel. In order to limit this risk the mitigation plan could predict the blend of recycled polyamide with a small percentage of virgin material to enhance strength without compromising sustainability. Otherwise the fabric with poorer polyamide could be addressed to garments where the elasticity and the friction are less impactful.

The recycling process for polyamide could be more expensive than producing virgin polyamide, especially if extensive cleaning, sorting, or chemical treatment is needed. These higher production costs can make recycled polyamide less competitive unless consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. This risk could be mitigate scaling up the recycling operation to reduce unit costs over time. As volume increases, the cost per unit should decrease, improving overall economic viability

Resources:

• What is your estimation considering needed resources and work packages?

1. EMPA Team to develop the process and the study of feasibility
   1. Chemical: solvents, reactors
   2. Analytic infrastructure
   3. Man force: master student & technician for the processing
2. YARN Producer: to check the quality of the recovered polyamide

• How are you planning to spend the innovation booster awarded amount in case you will win the application?

We plan to spend the amount on EMPA side to finance the chemical process development, involving additional technician and a master student already trained.

• Generally speaking, how can the Innovation Booster – Fashion & Lifestyle help you?

The Innovation Booster – Fashion & Lifestyle is the way to support the development of new concepts, prototypes, or early-stage products, making it easier to test innovative ideas without significant financial risk.

It’s also a momentum to facilitate connections with other industry players, including brands, manufacturers, and suppliers; it’s also a way to encourage projects that focus on sustainable materials, recycling, circularity, and energy-efficient production methods, providing both guidance and funding for eco-friendly initiatives.

Only thanks to this event Assos of Switzerland had the possibility to enter in contact with EMPA. The fusion between company needs and the knowledge of the Institute will elevate the possibility to build up a real, strong, project to decrease CO2 emission and develop sustainable products.

Developing innovative methods for the selective separation of polyamide (PA) from textile blends addresses a critical need in the fashion industry for sustainable recycling solutions. Current recycling methods often fail to preserve the integrity of each polymer, limiting their potential for reuse in high-quality applications. The goal of this project is to address and mitigate CO₂ emissions and waste within the textile lifecycle. The project will begin by identifying the key steps in the textile production and end-of-life (EoL) stages that contribute significantly to CO₂ emissions. By pinpointing these areas, strategies to reduce emissions and eliminate waste will be developed and implemented.

A core focus will be on collecting and valorizing textile waste from both the production process and EoL stages. This includes developing innovative processes for polymer recovery that ensure material purity and quality are maintained throughout the recycling process.

This approach not only contributes to environmental sustainability but also promotes innovative, scalable recycling solutions for the textile sector. In addition, the project will seek industrial partners to scale up these processes, ensuring that they can be implemented on a larger, commercial scale. The ultimate goal is to create a circular economy model for textiles that significantly reduces waste, lowers CO₂ emissions, and maximizes resource efficiency across the industry.