Reet Aus
Industrial Upcycling / Recycling
Reet Aus / Estonian Academy of Arts – DiMa
1. Upmade certified T-shirt.
Industrial upcycling is a design-based circular fashion approach that repurposes pre-consumer textile waste and reintroduces it back into production. It involves a combination of system and product design. The implementation of upcycling at an industrial level significantly reduces the environmental impact of a garment by circulating up to 80% of leftover materials back into production. This product is UPMADE® certified. It was made using leftover materials, meets international labour standards, and avoids restricted hazardous chemicals. T-shirt saves on average 75% water, and 88% energy and emits 80% less CO2. Made in Beximco, Bangladesh
2. Recycled hat.
According to the European Commission’s reports, we are only able to collect 25% of used clothing, and of that amount, only 1% is recycled. In an effort to address this issue, a mechanical recycling process has been developed to create knitted products using the zero-waste method. To achieve this, an industrial seamless knit machine, the Stoll 822 KW, was chosen in collaboration with the knitting factory Veta. After conducting several tests alongside the yarn development process, the most suitable yarn for a 3D knitting machine was selected. The end result is an industrially produced zero-waste design that effectively addresses the issue of textile waste. The hats are knitted from a blend of recycled yarn, consisting of 30% post-consumer textile waste and 70% sheep wool.
Industrial upcycling is a design-based circular fashion approach that repurposes pre-consumer textile waste and reintroduces it back into production. It involves a combination of system and product design. The implementation of upcycling at an industrial level significantly reduces the environmental impact of a garment by circulating up to 80% of leftover materials back into production. This product is UPMADE® certified. It was made using leftover materials, meets international labour standards, and avoids restricted hazardous chemicals. T-shirt saves on average 75% water, and 88% energy and emits 80% less CO2. Made in Beximco, Bangladesh
2. Recycled hat.
According to the European Commission’s reports, we are only able to collect 25% of used clothing, and of that amount, only 1% is recycled. In an effort to address this issue, a mechanical recycling process has been developed to create knitted products using the zero-waste method. To achieve this, an industrial seamless knit machine, the Stoll 822 KW, was chosen in collaboration with the knitting factory Veta. After conducting several tests alongside the yarn development process, the most suitable yarn for a 3D knitting machine was selected. The end result is an industrially produced zero-waste design that effectively addresses the issue of textile waste. The hats are knitted from a blend of recycled yarn, consisting of 30% post-consumer textile waste and 70% sheep wool.
