The project combines textile collection and recovery processes operated by Salvos Stores with Deakin University’s research and pilot-scale manufacturing equipment.
Australian government figures cited by the partners show that each person in Australia sends an average of 23kg of clothing to landfill each year.
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In a statement, Deakin said garments that are damaged, worn or otherwise unsuitable for resale can contain materials that are currently removed from the textile supply chain.
The new project, funded through the Australian government’s Trailblazer Universities Programme, will support recovery operations at Salvos Stores’ Textile Recovery Facility in Queensland.
The facility sorts clothing by fibre type and colour and removes components, including buttons and zips, automatically to produce material streams for recycling.
Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials associate professor Chris Hurren said the research was focused on maintaining the length and quality of recycled fibres so they could potentially be used to make new ...