Executive Summary of textile recycling in respect to INNO-THERM insulation
The textiles and clothing industry in the UK has been hit by one of the deepest slumps in history over the past five years. Total output has declined year on year and from 1997 to 2001 production has collapsed by 30%. The state of the market as a whole impacts on the availability of post manufacture waste material.
As with other recycling industries, the textiles sector has been hit by the demise of Britain’s manufacturing and heavy industries sector. The supply of ‘rags’ has also been affected by the booming post consumer second hand clothing market where much of the clothing collected is exported to Africa and the Balkan States. Because of increased labour costs and the proliferation of cheap import clothing, larger fractions of collected textiles are increasingly worthless. Additionally, should the second-hand clothing export markets collapse or significantly reduce, it is predicted that the proportion of collected textiles being sent to landfill could increase from around 7% to 30%.
Post industrial cotton textile waste appears to have limited sources in the Yorkshire region. There are more cotton manufacturers in Lancashire and some finishers in the East Midlands. Of the 25 or so companies contacted only one was able to provide a consistent supply of waste cotton amounting to 0.5 tonnes per week. More time and resources would be required to carry out an exhaustive search of textile companies.
The bulk of textile waste is made up of post consumer waste, with reports of between 550,000 and a million tonnes produced in the UK each year. Although a recycling rate of around 25% is achieved, it is estimated that 95% of all textiles sent to landfill could be recycled.
The number of clothing banks in the UK has increased from 100 in 1991 to 6000 in 2000 (80-85% of these are run by charities). An average collection of 5 tonnes per bank has been estimated nationally which equates to around 30,000 tonnes of clothing collected this way each year. The largest proportion of recovered clothing is exported to developing countries.
The breakdown of recovered clothing is typically as follows; 30% recycling grades, 30% sold to Eastern Europe, 40% sold to Africa. The value of recycling grades of recovered clothing is constantly falling e.g. woolens for shoddy trade have fallen from £475/tonne to £200/tonne in the last 5 years. Around 60% of the recycling grades (including, dark wipers, mixed synthetics, cotton wipers, scrap denim and sweatshirts) are problematic to sell on/recycle.
In order to achieve a reliable and consistent supply of raw materials for the UK production of the INNO-THERM insulation products a combination of suppliers may be required. Ideally free-issue post industrial textiles would be obtained. However, this study found very limited sources and it is widely recognised that the UK textile industry generally is in a massive decline. It is therefore envisaged that the raw materials would have to be purchased, at least some of the time.
The UK market for thermal insulation in the building sector (that most applicable to the INNO-THERM products) has enjoyed substantial growth and proved to be the most buoyant of the market segments with a value of £604.2 million in 2002. The loft insulation market represents 22% of the sector with sales reaching an estimated £132.8 in 2002. Cavity wall insulation has remained constant at around 39-40% of the building insulation market. Last year it was estimated to be worth £235.2 million. The following legislative/regulatory frameworks benefit the thermal insulation markets: Building Regulations, the Energy White Paper, 2003 and the Home Energy Conservation Act, 1995. There are health and safety issues surrounding the use of mineral wool (currently the predominant material used in both loft and cavity insulation).
The UK furniture industry is a large mature sector of the economy that makes a significant contribution to GDP. The UK’s internal markets are generally served by domestic manufacturers although imports make a significant contribution to retail sales. Production of upholstered furniture was worth £1.2 billion in 1998. The retail sales of furniture are set to increase for the foreseeable future. This bullish growth is, in part, a result of an increase in house buying as well as renewed interest in furniture. The large majority of manufacturers are SME’s.
The bed and mattress market was valued at £936 million at retail selling prices in 1997 which is an increase of 17% on 1993 prices. Recent activity in the industry has been geared towards encouraging shorter replacement cycles. With a trend towards smaller families, it is essential that the industry reduces the replacement cycle from between 12 and 15 years to 10 years to ensure future growth levels. The market is dominated by a handful of large manufacturers and is heavily branded, with a small number of specialist suppliers and manufacturers dominating their market. The effects of health issues such as allergies and back pain are important factors in the market. Beds are increasingly promoted on their hypoallergenic qualities to asthma and allergy sufferers. It is rumored that the French will shortly ban the use of recycled textiles in mattress manufacture.
The total apparent UK automotive market (which includes manufacturers’ sales plus imports less exports) has an estimated value of £46.06 billion. During the period 1997 to 2001, domestic production of cars increased marginally by 2.2% from 1.7 million to 1.74 million. Future prospects for the motor industry are reasonably good, despite strong opposition to its growth from environmental lobby groups etc. There is approximately 20kg of fabric/fiber in each car comprising a number of very different items. The European market for automotive textiles is predicted to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 1.6% from 2001-2008 and forecasts the market will be worth US$1.18 billion by the end of this period. The automotive industry has its own culture and is likely to be difficult to enter in the developed world. The industry traditionally has as few suppliers as possible and prefers an ability to supply globally (with local production). New products will require innovation for; cost cutting, weight saving, safety, comfort, environmental performance, recycling or provide some other benefit.
