Description
ReBlend is a Dutch label for 100% recycled fabrics and fashion made from mainly post-consumer blended textile waste that otherwise would have been incinerated.
We make new textiles in 4 steps:
- no longer wearable textiles are sorted by colour and material;
- after removing zippers/buttons the textile waste is shredded into new fibres;
- new yarn is spun from a composition of both shredded post-consumer textile fibers with recycled polyester;
- the yarn is used for weaving or knitting of new textiles. The recycled textiles can then be used to make garments.
Added value
- 100% recycled; 70% post-consumer textile waste and 30% recycled PET
- Minimal dying: sorting by colour and making new colours
- Each kilogram of textiles saves:
o 26 kilograms GHG emissions
o 5000 litre of water usage
o 1.2 m2 cultivation area
o 0.2 kilogram of chemicals
Challenges
- Scaling up; currently we only produce on small scale, this makes the yarn and fabrics more expensive. We are looking for funding to expand our collection and scale up the production.
- Development of eco-coatings; currently, there are no ecologically friendly finishes & coatings for water repellence and flame retardancy. We aim to develop better eco-friendly finishes and coatings.
- Lack of awareness and uncertainty regarding ecological impact of textiles in terms of water usage, water pollution and CO2 emissions as well as of those that are made in a more sustainable manner.