How popular are recycled fabrics now? You will know after taking a walk around the various textile fabrics exhibitions. Not to mention that most of the themes are related to environmental protection, but more importantly, most of the fabrics to be displayed by various exhibitors are under the banner of environmental protection. Many exhibitors even put their “Global Recycling Standard for Textile and Apparel (GRS)” certificates on the The booth is presented to the audience.
Three or four years ago, there was basically no “recycled fabric” product in the entire textile market, and even if it existed, it was mostly just a concept. But things are different now. There are more and more weaving factories producing recycled fabrics, and the products are becoming more and more abundant. Not only that, the supporting facilities are becoming more and more comprehensive, and the “GRS” certificate, which was unknown in the past, has begun to enter various production and processing enterprises. From “recycled fabrics” to “recycled clothing”, the entire industry chain is gradually becoming clear. But is the “recycled fabric” sought after by the whole people really suitable for every company and every market? Obviously it can’t be done.
There are few countries that accept recycled fabrics and the market is limited
The sudden rise of recycled fabrics mainly stems from the European market.
As clothing consumption in the EU increases year by year, the service life of a single piece of clothing is significantly reduced, resulting in a large amount of textile waste and pollution. Taking France as an example, 9.5 kilograms of clothes are added per capita every year, but the recycling rate by 2017 was only about 36%. The recycling rate of textile fabrics in the entire European Union is even lower, only about 20%. To this end, the EU government has ordered a ban on textile waste and requires member states to carry out specialized textile recycling from 2025 to increase the reuse rate of textile fabrics.
The vast majority of orders for recycled fabrics on the market now come from EU member states, or the final clothing is sold to the EU region. At present, other countries and regions have not introduced corresponding policies to mandate the use of recycled fabrics. In other words, in the short term, recycled fabrics will only be limited to the EU market.
Pre-production to post-processing are expensive
Most of the raw materials for recycled fabrics come from plastic bottles or used clothing. It seems that using cheap “garbage”, the cost should be significantly reduced, but in fact this is not the case. Regenerated raw materials are more expensive than virgin raw materials, so the price of woven gray fabrics will naturally not be low. Take the fabrics in the chart as an example. For the more conventional pongee, plaid polyester taffeta, etc., the price of gray fabrics is not lower than 5 yuan/meter, and many are even close to 10 yuan/meter, which is more than 50% higher than the normal gray fabric price. .
The high price of raw materials is just one of them. International recognition of recycled fabrics comes entirely from whether they have the “GRS” certificate, and from raw materials, weaving, printing and dyeing, trade, and garments This certificate is required for all aspects of processing. There are many inspection items to apply for the “GRS” certificate, the price is not low and the validity period is only one year. An ordinary trader basically spends about 50,000 yuan to apply for and maintain the certificate for one year, and other types of processing plants only have much more.
The investment in the “GRS” certificate in each link will eventually be transferred to the production cost of recycled fabrics. In addition, the difference between recycled fabrics and virgin fabrics will also lead to differences in production processes such as printing, dyeing, and finishing, which will virtually increase processing costs.
The costs of applying for certificates, purchasing raw materials, production and processing are much higher than those of conventional varieties. To ensure the production and trade of recycled fabrics, continuous investment is necessary, and the financial pressure on enterprises has increased sharply.
There are many hot market followers and competition is increasing
The advent of new concept fabrics will always attract market attention and pursuit. At that time, memory fabric, imitation memory, T400, etc. were all stars at the center of the textile fabrics stage. Recycled fabrics are just repeating this process, but they are of great significance because the textile market has been silent for many years and is in urgent need of a decent new type of fabric to ignite the market and lead the trend.
However, the current market for recycled fabrics is small and only suitable for foreign trade companies. People who follow the trend are a little too hasty. Nowadays, when walking through the market, recycled fabrics are everywhere. Many domestic trade companies that have never been involved in export trade have quietly posted advertisements selling and producing “recycled fabrics”. Although some companies display “GRS” certificates, if you look closely, you will find that they are just copies borrowed from elsewhere. There are even professional “GRS” certificate agency companies on the market.
In the face of market hot spots, both mud and sand are falling, and more and more people are dividing the cake. The competition pressure in the yet-to-be-completed recycled fabric market has increased sharply, and product quality is also uneven.
The various costs of recycled fabrics make the price of finished fabrics more than 80% higher than conventional fabrics. In the absence of policy guidance, high prices limit the possibility of recycled fabrics entering other regions. A large number of textile people followed up and used recycled fabrics in small areasThe market is fiercely competitive, and the high profits of hot-selling fabrics will subsequently drop sharply.
It is indeed a general trend for recycled fabrics to comply with environmental protection. However, the emerging “environmentally friendly fabric market” has just started and is not mature in all aspects. It is urgent for textile people to calm down and overcome difficulties and push recycled fabrics into a new heights. If there is no practical and effective “rush”, it will definitely disrupt the steadily rising market of “recycled fabrics” and drag new high value-added products into the ranks of low-price and low-quality competition.
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