Recycling and the Circular Economy
Our planet has finite resources. Thus, resources need to be used and preserved so that future generations can enjoy them, too. The circular economy is built on the idea that closed loops allow maximum value to be extracted from resources. Products last longer, and waste from one process can be used as a raw material in another process, which reduces the need for virgin resources, avoids waste, increases resource efficiency and thereby minimizes environmental impacts. The circular economy broadly covers two areas: biological materials and technical materials.
The latest Circularity Gap Report estimates that of the 100 billion tonnes of resources that the world uses every year, only 8.6 percent is cycled back into our economy. Over 90 percent of what we take from the earth to fulfill our needs and wants goes to waste. These figures are taken from the OECD report “Global Material Resources Outlook to 2060,” which also highlights that in only 50 years, global material use has nearly quadrupled—outpacing population growth.
In 1972, as the Club of Rome’s “Limits to Growth” was published, the world consumed 28.6 billion tons. At the turn of the millennium, this had gone up to 54.9 billion tons, and as of 2019, it surpassed 100 billion tons.
In 2017, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched the landmark report “A New Textiles Economy: redesigning fashion’s future.” It identified the linear “take-make-waste” model—with one rubbish truck load of textiles being landfilled or incinerated every second—as the root cause of many of the environmental challenges in the fashion industry. The report presented the circular economy as both a solution to these challenges and a significant economic opportunity.
Textiles have long been an integral part of our daily lives and society, providing employment for hundreds of millions of people and creating tremendous economic value. However, the industry’s significant ecological footprint, as well as its health and social risks, have come under increasing scrutiny.
Not only is the linear model unsustainable, the economic impacts of Covid-19 have shown how vulnerable we are to economic shocks resulting from any disruption in the current flow of resources.
There is urgent need for transformation. How can circular strategies contribute?
According to PACE (Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy), the Textiles Circular Economy Action Agenda report highlights three objectives which are based on converging visions of a circular economy for textiles:
- Inputs for textiles are safe and recycled or renewable
- Textiles are kept in use for longer
- Textiles are recyclable and recycled at end-of-use
Looking at the end-of-life stage for products manufactured from Lenzing’s fibers—including clothing, home textiles, technical products, hygiene products and personal care products—there are several options:
Some textile and non-woven products can be composted if all constituents are biodegradable. The BioSinn report from the Nova Institute lists such applications.
All LENZING™ fibers fulfill the requirements for compostability in terms of biodegradability, disintegration and the absence of eco-toxicity.
Bilateral research is also important to Lenzing’s approach to scientific collaboration. Noteworthy examples include its collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, on the biodegradability of cellulose-based materials in a maritime environment.
Laboratory experiments in seawater show the biodegradation or mineralization of LENZING™ fibers. (Mineralization is the degradation of biomaterials to their mineral components, mainly CO2 and water). Additionally, novel research was conducted on the (bio)degradation of different natural, wood-based, bio-based and synthetic materials in real conditions in the ocean. It showed that “fabrics containing polyester remained relatively intact with a limited biofilm after more than 200 days in seawater off the Scripps Oceanography pier, in contrast to wood-based cellulose fabrics that fell apart within 30 days.”
Alternatively, for end of life with certain products, it may be appropriate to use anaerobic digestion with energy recovery (bio-methane production) in waste treatment. LENZING™ fibers are fully degradable in controlled anaerobic waste treatment conditions.
If composting is not an option, the final products can be incinerated and the embedded energy recovered. Since the fibers consist of natural polymer originating from sustainably managed forests, they are climate-neutral in terms of incineration, which means that only the amount of CO2 that was stored in the plant is released. Either way, both composted materials and CO2 provide input for plant growth, thereby closing the natural carbon cycle.
The least preferable option for materials’ end-of-life is landfill, which is still a regular practice in many countries. While this option has to be phased out as soon as possible, Lenzing’s cellulosic fibers can biodegrade without releasing microplastic or toxic substances if conditions in the landfill favour biodegradation.
The disposal of materials made of LENZING™ fibers after use does not contribute to persistent environmental pollution, unlike fossil-based plastics. Lenzing’s cellulosic fibers can be biodegraded via home and industrial composting, anaerobic digestion, in soil, fresh water and marine environments (natural recycling) or incinerated for energy recovery without causing any negative environmental impact.
Where Lenzing can have a positive effect on end of life is with recycling. Products made from wood-based fibers can in principle be recycled and reused for fiber production at Lenzing, as shown by the example of LENZING™ fibers leveraging recycled post-industrial and post-consumer cotton waste within the REFIBRA™ technology on a commercial scale.
Lenzing takes the progress of the circular economy—and specifically recycling—very seriously. Its proprietary REFIBRA™ technology is an essential step towards creating a circular economy for cellulose fibers on an industrial scale as it allows the manufacture of lyocell with recycled content, for example.
At this stage, the main sources are cotton scraps from the textile industry, although post-consumer textiles are being increasingly used. In addition, LENZING™ fibers themselves can be recycled into fibers through the REFIBRA™ technology, making them truly circular materials.
There are three pillars of Lenzing’s circular economy vision. We use regenerative and recycled raw materials to protect the planet. An important element in Lenzing’s circular economy vision is its use of wood, a renewable raw material harvested from sustainably managed forests. In its bio-refineries, Lenzing converts 100 percent of the wood it receives to make high-value products and bioenergy. We are using an increasing amount of alternative cellullose feedstock, in particular from textile waste, as a raw material. Lenzing proactively participates in conservation projects to protect the world’s ecosystems.
In addition to using raw materials highly efficiently, Lenzing reduces its waste by closing loops in production. By implementing circular thinking and high environmental and social standards in Lenzing’s operations, procurement and innovations, we minimize the impact on ecosystems and society not only for Lenzing, but also throughout the value chain. Lenzing proactively develops and drives innovations in recycling, such as our REFIBRA™technology, to deliver solutions to the issue of global textile waste.
We continuously improve our bio-refinery concept by optimizing the cascading use of biomass in order to minimize the utilization of virgin resources. We set standards in the industry by further closing the loops in the technologies we use. We develop recycling technologies at a commercial scale to increase resource efficiency and reduce waste in the value chain. Lenzing implements close digital connections (blockchain technology) and relevant tools (E-Branding Service) to enhance transparency across the network to give customers and end users confidence and to facilitate the transition from a linear to a circular supply chain.
Moving to a circular economy has the potential to do more than deliver the disruptive changes needed to secure a sustainable future. It will also open exciting new possibilities for businesses to enter new markets with innovative products and services, clearing the path to long-term growth. Equally important, it is an opportunity for companies to rethink the resource use of their operations and supply chains and the associated contribution to their cost base. Further benefits include the impact on brand, trust and reputation that comes with clarity of purpose in attracting talent or delighting consumers. In short, the circular economy can help protect the environment and address societal challenges while also enabling organizations to achieve competitive advantage.
Earlier this year we commissioned a series of graphics, the aim of which was to simplify some rather complex environmental subjects. This graphic visualizes what is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, according to climate scientists. If you like the style of these graphics, and would like to create something for yourself or your company, here is the link to the graphic recorder and facilitator who was the creative artist behind the images: www.carlottacat.com