Background

Mechanically recycled yarns offer great potential for a resource-efficient circular textile economy. However, processing them into woven textiles presents specific challenges: Mechanical recycling shortens the fibers, and material properties vary more widely than with conventional yarns, which affects, among other things, yarn strength, abrasion resistance, thread breaks, and process stability. As a result, weaving mills and designers have so far lacked a solid basis for decision-making regarding the conditions under which mechanically recycled yarns can be reliably processed and effectively utilized in design.

Project Objectives

The goal of KOMMIT is to systematically test the use of mechanically recycled yarns in textile fabric production and to validate them from both a design and a production technology perspective. Under realistic production conditions, textile swatches and prototypes derived from them are created. In addition to technical feasibility, the project team also considers design quality, material perception, and potential applications, and systematically prepares the findings for further transfer, development, and research projects within CirTex.

Approach

First, the project team defines relevant material, design, and production parameters and compiles them into a joint catalog of methodologies and criteria. Subsequently, the Kosel weaving mill conducts test series with mechanically recycled yarns under real production conditions, with scientific and design support from the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg—in co-design formats that combine the weaving mill’s technical expertise with design research and prototyping. Finally, the team evaluates the resulting fabrics and prototypes based on technical, design, and user-related criteria and derives practical “Design for Recycling” and “Design for Circularity” guidelines from these findings.