SUSTAINABILITY
DEFINING COTTON RECYCLING at the Next Level By Adrian Wilson, IFJ International Correspondent
ince 2019, Säntis Textiles has been producing around 300-350 tons of 100% recycled cotton monthly using specially-developed RCO100 technology at the plant of its partner Kipas in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. The technology has been under development since 2016 and was commercially launched for third-party manufacturers by a second Kahramanmaras-based company, textile machinery builder Temsan, at ITMA 2023 in Milan in June. “Our main business is still technical and home textiles, but since 2010 we have worked on recycling, initially with polyester and from 2016 with cotton,” explained Stefan Hutter, owner of Säntis Textiles, which is headquartered in Singapore and now has a branch office in Switzerland. “Recycling will be a significant pillar for us going forward and for me it’s like the closing of a circle. “The challenge of developing the technology for 100% cotton recycled yarns and fabrics took us initially to China where we did trials with different machine modules and moved them around until we obtained some first encouraging results. It took us about two years until we were able to produce denim fabrics and some chinos and knits out of 100% recycled cotton.”
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Kipas Säntis then moved the project to Kipas where the first full RCO100 recycling system was installed. Kipas Holding is a conglomerate of 25 companies with more than 10,000 employees and annual sales of more than $100 million. Its textile operations have
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Annabelle Hutter with textiles ready for recycling. Globally, just 15% of post-consumer textile waste is recycled with the remaining 85% often ending up in a landfill. The ambition of Säntis Textiles, alongside their partners from the textile industry, is to take steps to reverse these numbers as they believe that the recycling and upcycling manufacturing model is the only way forward, not just for our industry but for the planet as a whole. Their 100% recycled cotton is the first of its kind in the market. This recycled cotton fabric is made from pre- and post-consumer cotton, textile waste and leftovers from fabric production. They spin this waste, collected from over 100 sources in three countries, into strong staple fibers with impeccable quality. Not only is this officially verified, but also when woven together, they create the highest quality of sturdiness and durability, perfect for daily use. Santis
