Reducing pre-consumer material waste in the apparel industry

Challenge

Today, the production of fabric and garments creates much waste destined for the landfill. Depending on the fabric and garment, the amount of waste going to landfill can represent as much as 10-20% of the total fabric produced. For the apparel industry, this equates to thousands of tons of landfill waste per year.

Solution

With partnerships spanning the entire value chain, Lubrizol has set out to mitigate or reduce pre-consumer material waste in the apparel industry’s supply chain. Our patented, solvent-free extrusion spinning process produces a recyclable, thermoplastic fiber that we call Lubrizol X4zolTM-J. Compared to traditional dry-spun, thermoset fibers like spandex, which render fabrics to be non-recyclable using widely available mechanical recycling methods, our fiber technology can help produce more sustainable clothing for future generations.

Results

Not only are we recycling our own scrap back into the fiber spinning process, creating a “zero-waste spinning process”, we are also working with apparel brands and related supply chain partners to demonstrate the ability to recycle scrap fabric into useful apparel and accessory articles -- such as bra support wires, eyeglass frames, and other molded parts. These efforts can displace virgin plastics and help the industry reduce waste and create greater circularity.