Dye-Removal Technology May Redefine Sustainable Fabric Industry
Sports brands like Nike and Adidas are requiring suppliers to use more recycled materials in their products. But there are challenges to acquiring recycled fabrics. To help find a solution to the potential shortage, Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute has found a more efficient and sustainable way to recycle polyester fabrics.
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00:00The world needs recycled fabrics.
00:03Global clothing brands like Nike and Adidas
00:06are requiring their suppliers to get materials
00:10from sustainable sources.
00:22The most popular sustainable fabric
00:24is recycled polyester,
00:26which is typically made from plastic bottles.
00:29But as people become more conscious
00:31about the impact of single-use plastics,
00:34clothing suppliers are finding it hard
00:36to get recycled polyester.
00:43And while less plastic is a good thing for the planet,
00:47the lack of sustainable materials
00:49could spell trouble for the upcycled textile economy.
00:54All the textile industries in the world
00:55are fighting for recycled materials.
00:59Taiwan is one of the world's major textile suppliers,
01:03and it needs a workaround to get more recycled fabrics.
01:07Recycling textiles from things like old clothing
01:10or bedsheets may be the answer,
01:12but that solution has its own problems,
01:15specifically the dyes that give consumer fabrics their colors.
01:19To recycle textiles from old garments,
01:22dyes need to be removed first before they can be reused.
01:33Traditional dye removal involves soaking garments
01:36in organic solutions at high temperatures,
01:39which uses a lot of energy
01:41and leaves byproducts that are harmful to the environment.
01:44And those methods can only remove at most 80% of dyes.
01:53To get around these challenges,
01:55Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute
01:58has developed the PureTex sustainable decolorization solution.
02:02It's a water-based solution that can remove dyes from polyester
02:06at comparatively lower temperatures,
02:08which means less energy consumption
02:10and lower carbon emissions.
02:23Sustainability doesn't come at a compromise.
02:26In fact, it comes with added benefits.
02:29PureTex can achieve color removal of up to 99%,
02:33the highest on the market so far.
02:36And PureTex works with current dye removal equipment,
02:40meaning businesses don't need to make
02:42any major investments to adopt it.
02:45The team behind PureTex earned an Edison Award
02:48for its innovation and potential
02:50to redefine the textile industry.
02:52It's the first time PureTex has achieved
02:54this level of innovation.
02:56It's the first time PureTex has achieved
02:58this level of innovation.
03:00It's the first time PureTex has achieved
03:02this level of innovation.
03:04It's the first time PureTex has achieved
03:06this level of innovation.
03:08PureTex comes at a pivotal time
03:10when people are thinking about how to save the planet
03:12while keeping their businesses running.
03:14This tech proves that it doesn't have to be a choice
03:17between one or the other,
03:19and that sometimes being eco-friendly
03:21could bring groundbreaking, industry-setting innovation.
03:25Kama Xu and Leslie Liao in Hsinchu for Taiwan Plus.