ReMixTex – Recycling of Mixed Textile waste by effective degradation and separation of elastane

In 2020, around 5.8 million tonnes of post-consumer textile waste were generated in the EU [1]. Less than 2% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing [1]. In the Netherlands, around 45% (136kton) of textile waste is collected separately, whereas 55% (169kton) ends up as residual waste [2]. The quantity of discarded textiles per capita is now around 11.3 kg/year [1].
A shift of the global textile value chain from a linear to a circular model is foreseen, driven by new regulations and the desire for resource efficiency. The Netherlands has Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the textile sector since July 2023. Producers (and importers) must collect and process discarded textile products [3]. By 2030, 75% of all textile waste must be prepared for reuse or recycled [4]. These new rules are important for a circular economy.
A key hurdle in achieving circularity is - the challenge of blended textiles. Most of the garments are increasingly composed of a variety of fibres from different polymers, in this way, the functionality of the fabric is improved. One of the well-known examples is the presence of less than 5% elastane fibers in denim jeans to improve wearing comfort [5]. The most popular cotton-polyester blended textiles are now able to deal with chemically regenerating cotton fractions leading to polyester degradation by SaXcell BV and others [6-9]. ReMixTex proposal will investigate (bio)-chemical methods for degradation and separation of elastane (polyurethane copolymer) to recover cellulose from post-consumer textile waste such as denim jeans. Another objective is to build a larger consortium of SMEs, Knowledge institutes, and important players in the circular textile value chain to address untapped blended post-consumer textiles for the recovery of desired materials.