From Textile Waste Toward a Leather Alternative: Mechanical and Abrasion Performance of Polycaprolactone-Reinforced Reclaimed Nonwoven Cotton

Transforming textile waste into durable, value-added materials remains a central challenge for sustainable apparel systems. This study developed single-layer, nonwoven sheets from discarded 100% cotton textiles using a papermaking-derived wet-laid process and evaluated their potential as leather-alternative materials through a sequential two-phase approach. In Phase 1, reclaimed-cotton nonwoven sheets bio-finished with persimmon juice or konjac were benchmarked against commercial plant-based olive, cork, pineapple, and cactus leather alternatives using ASTM grab tensile and rotary-platform abrasion testing. The bio-finished sheets showed low breaking forces, limited elongation, and abrasion failure. In Phase 2, biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) was applied as a reinforcing finish. The resulting PCL-treated reclaimed-cotton sheets’ (RC-PCL) breaking force performance improved by over 6.5 times the nontreated nonwoven specimens and approximately 4.5 times the bio-finished nonwoven specimens. Additionally, the RC-PCL completed the 2000-cycle abrasion endpoint without through-thickness failure. Elongation remained low while the dogbone tensile test showed increases in tensile strength, strain at break, and apparent Young’s modulus after PCL-finishing. These findings indicate that biodegradable PCL-finish substantially improves the strength, cohesion, and abrasion resistance of reclaimed-cotton nonwovens, while flexibility, coating optimization, and end-of-life performance remain priorities for future leather-alternative applications to support sustainability efforts and value-added use of reclaimed materials within the textile industry.