How ecodesign requirements fuel the design process for yarn production and what challenges must be overcome from a spinning perspective

Old or waste textiles are a modern phenomenon and a problem of highly industrialised societies. The linear economic model of the textile industry and our appetite for fast fashion has serious impacts on the environment, characterised by short use phases, low reuse and reparability, and low rates of fibre-to-fibre recycling. The European ecodesign requirements regulation establishes a framework for improving the environmental sustainability of products by 2026.1 This paper focuses on the spinning process using recycled fibres as a sub-sector of the circular economy and the specific hurdles arising from the ecodesign requirements for the design process. With concrete, marketable prototypes, the complex challenges relating to the spinning sector are addressed using examples. The development of a prototypical poly-cotton recycled ring yarn from pre-consumer baker uniforms is shown: from materials sourcing to production and product application. This research project combines empirical, experimental approaches in cooperation with textile producers, including research on the framework conditions, regulations and standards which pose real challenges for spinning mills and designers when dealing with mechanically recycled fibres.