RECYCLING COTTON WASTE!

Cotton, the most popular raw material used in all areas of textile, has also taken its place in the recycling cycle while raising awareness in sustainable fashion. Although cotton recycling is not a new invention, today the limited cultivation areas, water, and carbon footprint factors are changing the purchasing consciousness of supply chains and consumers.

What Is Recycled Cotton?

Recycled cotton can be defined as the conversion of cotton fabric into cotton fiber or yarn that can be reused in textile products as a new product. It is also commonly referred to as regenerated cotton or reclaimed cotton.

Recycling cotton can be obtained from pre-consumption and post-consumption sources. Pre-consumption resources include the residues of yarn and fabric in the production process, post-consumption resources include clothing, fabrics, home furnishings and home textiles to be repurposed after consumption.

This is a more labor-intensive process due to the difficulty of separating post-consumption wastes according to their colors and fabric mixtures. Therefore, pre-consumption resources gain more importance and value in recycling investments.

Why Is Recycled Cotton Important?

The importance of recycling cotton increases in consideration of the following data in addition to the growing conditions of cotton: the need for agricultural fields, water, and chemical consumption.

* 6% usage of total pesticides and 16% of beetle pesticides in agriculture are consumed in cotton growing.

* 3.5 million ton pesticides are produced and 560 thousand tons of them are used for cotton.

* In 560 thousand tons of pesticides 526-559 thousand tons are released into the environment.

New Collection With Recycled Cotton

We, at Özen, use recycled cotton from pre-consumption sources in the new collection products. We are happy to reinterpret these wastes with the latest ring technologies which have allowed them to turn into yarns with smooth surfaces and soft touches for sustainable fashion.

Our GRS and RGS certified fabrics: Care and Care Rib with 50% cotton - 50% recycled cotton, Nadia and Pangai with 80% cotton - 20% recycled cotton, Ecolife which is a sample of 100% recycling with waste recycled cotton - Repreve support your brands to create sustainable collections.

You can find out more new qualities on our website.

* Source: Is cotton conquering its chemical addiction? A review of pesticide use in global cotton production. s.l., UK: C&A, 2018. Our World in Data.

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