Taiwanese textile innovator SINGTEX Group has this month been honoured with an R&D 100 Award for its RePUra™ technology, recognised as the world’s first patented chemical textile-to-textile recycling solution for complex composite fabrics.
Each year, more than 120 million tons of textile waste
are generated globally. However, less than 1 % of such materials are recycled
into new fabrics. RePUra™ addresses this challenge by employing a chemical
depolymerisation and repolymerisation process. The process breaks down
polyurethane (PU)-rich composite textiles including performance wear,
waterproof layers and stretch blends into high-purity molecular components
before regenerating them into high-performance recycled PU materials.
The innovation supports circularity in fashion and
technical textiles by enabling coloured or mixed-material garments to be
reprocessed without the complex sorting or de-colouring requirements typical of
mechanical recycling. RePUra™’s membrane technology delivers over 20,000 mm
water-column waterproofing and over 20,000 g/m²·24 h moisture-vapour
transmission, making it suitable for outdoor apparel, footwear, military and
medical applications.
Sustainability commentary emphasises the significance
for the Indian textile sector, which is striving to adopt circular and
traceable models of fibre and fabric production. India currently contributes
about 2 % of national GDP through textiles and apparel, and employs more than
45 million people. Innovations such as RePUra™ could aid Indian manufacturers
moving from linear waste models to circular systems.
The innovation supports circularity in fashion and technical textiles by enabling coloured or mixed-material garments to be reprocessed without the complex sorting or de-colouring requirements typical of mechanical recycling. RePUra™’s membrane technology delivers over 20,000 mm water-column waterproofing and over 20,000 g/m²·24 h moisture-vapour transmission, making it suitable for outdoor apparel, footwear, military and medical applications.
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