.Textile recycling: this is how we do it at Planq

What happens to the clothes in the clothing containers? What do the big international guys do with company clothing that is in need of renewal? Or where does the Dutch military's clothing end up after their good work abroad? In short, what happens to the pile of textile waste that doesn't go to charity? Spoiler alert: Planq. For those curious enough about the how question, we have the answer. Recycling textiles: here's how we do it at Planq.

.Textile recycling for circular design in 5 phases

Did you know that 86 kilotons of textiles were separated in 2019, collected through municipalities? Some 174 kilotons ended up in the residual waste, more than half of which was still definitely (re)wearable or recyclable. Facts are always good. Especially when we can really do something with them.

We believe that we can make beautiful products from waste materials, from textile waste. AND we believe that we don't have to stop at recycling alone. Sustainability is not promising to improve the world, not for us anyway. We focus on awareness, on inspiring the world and making an impact. Recycling textiles is part of that. Indeed, one of the most important parts to our 'collection' Planq Products. From textile recycling to circular design in 5 phases.

.I. Collecting: 'We're leftover junkies'

Collected textiles are the type of leftover we like to fill our Tupperware with. Where do we get it from? A sheltered workshop that collects old jeans, the Dutch army, the famous black and gray bank suits or stewardesses' clothing from KLM: they are main bases for our whole process of recycling textiles. We throw in another fact! Did you know that we need 3,000 to 5,000 kg of jeans to start the process in the factory? That works out to about 6,250 pairs of jeans.

'Recycling textiles is also selecting. After all, not all collected textiles are usable. Very black and white, the less it consists of a hundred thousand and one pieces, the better it can be taken apart and separated.'

.ANTON, PLANQ

.II. From shreds to fiber

Without taking you too long into a very technical story, textile recycling continues next with the shredding, fiberizing and shredding of all collected items. Fiberizing the textiles creates coarse shreds. We do this by product type and composition, so that we can neatly replenish the standard colors from our materials library. Those shreds are fiberized smaller and smaller into long threads. The long threads provide strength and sturdiness: the ultimate basis for a timeless design!

.III. Time to spin!

In this phase of textile recycling, the threads are mixed in a kind of large centrifuge and then spun into felt. We combine the fibers with recycled or biobased binders, creating non-woven felt cloth. Do another factoid? A common binder in this stage is made from potato starch.

.IV. Rolling or pressing

From this point on, textile recycling really begins to take shape. Literally, because by pressing or rolling the cloth over a mold, it hardens into a thermoplastic material after cooling. By the way, the choice of rolling or pressing depends on the type of end product: a table or chair, for example. This "textile composite" is completely biodegradable and thus recyclable again.

We can heat and change the thermoplastic material "at the end" again. What can be done with it after the life of the design product? We are working on that too.

.PLANQ

.V. Recycling textiles for sustainable furniture

This is how we see a better future. By plotting, die-cutting and laser cutting the bioplastic, the end products for our sustainable designer furniture are created. And all with our own PlanqTextile as a base! How many jeans do you need to collect for the Ubu Chair, one of our must-haves? 7,2! Do we end the whole process of textile recycling with a fact after all!

.Anything but ordinary

Anything but ordinary. By combining that vision with the hefty pile of textile waste, an eye for design and a desire to inspire the world, a mix of sustainable innovation and environmental awareness is created in 5 stages. What products emerge from that? From chairs, stools and benches to tables, side tables and cabinets. For the architect, we also develop sheet material. By turning low-value materials into high-end products, textile recycling is much more than just sustainability.

Curious about our samples? Request them below or download here the 3D drawings of our sustainable collection.