In March 2019, project partner Procotex sent opened Fibersorted material to a spinner in Spain. The material included a bale with 70% wool content and another one with 90% wool content.
After a few months, the first spools of wool yarn, with up to 60% recycled post-consumer Fibersorted textiles, have returned to Procotex!
The spinner has found that it is possible to ring spin the fibers into a new yarn, initially busting the myth that post-consumer mechanically recycled textile fibres are only able to be spun by open-end spinning. The spinner is also positive that the yarn has the potential to be commercialised in the market. Hence, the next step for the consortium will be to assess the applications that this yarn could serve when knitted into a fabric.
In this regard, project partner Nicolas Douchy, managing director of the recycling division at Procotex, says: "The first steps have been taken with two well known flat-knitting Belgian companies in order to create new fabrics. The first goal is to create a Jersey fabric. In case this would seem too difficult then double-knitted fabrics will be produced in order to show that the yarns provided by Procotex can be used in future sustainable designs. Both knitting companies’ expectations are very high. High tension for the results…the circular loop is nearly closed!"
