Fast fashion and over consumption within the textile industry has led to a serious depletion of natural resources. The current rate of population growth and consumption is unsustainable. In result, there is a growing interested in sustainable solutions, one of which is reverse supply chains. Infrastructures for recycling textile fibers are being researched and developed. At the same time, it is important to put a focus on also developing the infrastructures for textile recollection. When examining a forward supply chain, the last mile, or point of distribution to the final consumer, can be considered the most costly when it comes to logistics costs. As a result, within a reverse supply chain the point of textile recollection, or the “first mile” as defined by the authors, can also be considered problematic in terms of logistical costs. Cirqle is a Swedish based app using ICT to aide in the recollection of used textiles, by offering app users rewards (discounts) for used textile returns at specific retailers. Through gathering specific information about app users, ICT companies such as Cirqle, are key to optimizing reverse supply chains, and in result, aiding in the reduction of the “first mile problem”. Due to the research gap identified by the authors, the purpose of this thesis is to explore how a digital infrastructure for collecting used garments, such as the Cirqle App, can be used to optimize location‟s for collection points; therefore minimizing the first mile problem of reverse logistics in the textile industry.

The consumption of textiles is increasing more and more, meanwhile there are vigorous efforts both from the textile industry and controlling companies to promote sustainable consumption. A significant amount of textiles discarded in household waste, which is an untapped resource that should be taken advantage of. Two methods to use textile waste is to reuse and recycling it. The reuses of textile materials are today well developed in Sweden, however, there are currently no existing system for recycling textiles. The purpose of this study is to investigate Borås Stad’s textile waste and the textile recycling. The reason I chose Borås is because the city has an old history in the Swedish textile industry and today strives to be in top of the textile innovations. The methods being used in this study are a literature studies and a interview. Borås Stad actively works to encourage the citizens to reuse and recycle their textile waste. The opportunity to recycle textiles is today only in the special collecting boxes. Borås Stad has nowadays, because of size- and economical aspects, not an own developed recycle system for textile waste.

Today, products are often being made through a linear approach, where raw materials are being taken from nature, produced into products that are used and then becomes waste. A circular model strives to minimize the amount of waste and the goal is to bring the materials back into the flow of products. In Sweden today, large amounts of textiles and clothing are being thrown in the household trash that in turn, becomes waste and there is no clear line for textile recycling. However, more and more companies have introduced the possibility for consumers to hand in clothes and textiles for them to recycle. This paper is centred around circular economy with a special focus on textile recycling. The paper has examined the disposal habits of textiles and clothing for consumers in Sweden and what Swedish companies are communicating regarding the possibility of recycling textiles through them. The study has examined both consumer habits and the communication from companies, since both parties must participate actively if a circular model is to be achieved. The study has also examined what affects the extent and expansion of the amount of textiles recycled by consumers. The study shows that large parts of consumers in Sweden participates in a circular system through, amongst other things, recycling of other materials, donating clothes and textiles for reuse and through mending broken pieces of clothing instead of throwing them away. However, the result shows that few recycle textiles and clothing, even though almost all recycle other materials in their households. The study shows a discrepancy between consumer knowledge and the information presented from the companies, since one third of the respondents of this study didn’t have enough knowledge to recycle textiles. The study shows a lack of information about the subject, as well as the importance of accessibility to collection bins for recycling of textiles. It is also established that many companies are already working with circular economy and the importance for companies to communicate their work with sustainability to their customers. This paper is written in Swedish. / Idag produceras varor ofta med ett linjärt tillvägagångssätt, där råvaror tas från naturen, förädlas, användas och sedan bli avfall. En cirkulär modell strävar efter att minimera mängden avfall och målet är istället att föra tillbaka materialen i produktflödet igen. I Sverige idag slängs stora mängder textilier och kläder i hushållssoporna som blir till avfall och det finns ännu ingen tydlig linje för textilåtervinning. Dock har alltfler företag introducerat en möjlighet för konsumenter att lämna in kläder och textilier till dem för återvinning. Denna uppsats centreras kring cirkulär ekonomi med särskilt fokus på textilåtervinning. Uppsatsen har undersökt vilka vanor konsumenter i Sverige har vad gäller avyttring av textilier och kläder samt vilka möjligheter till textilåtervinning som kommuniceras från svenska företag. Undersökningen har tittat på, vilka vanor konsumenter har, samt vilken kommunikation som finns tillgänglig från företag, då båda parter måste delta aktivt för att en cirkulär modell ska uppnås. Studien har även undersökt vad som påverkar omfattningen och utökningen av återvinningen av textilier från konsumenter. Studien visar att stora delar av konsumenter i Sverige deltar i ett cirkulärt system genom bland annat återvinning av andra material, att donera kläder och textilier för återanvändning samt genom att laga trasiga plagg istället för att slänga dem. Resultatet visar dock att få återvinner textilier och kläder, trots att nästintill samtliga återvinner andra material i sina hushåll. Studien visar att det finns en diskrepans hos konsumenters kunskaper om ämnet och den information som förmedlas från företagen, då en tredjedel av respondenterna inte hade tillräcklig kunskap för att återvinna textilier. Studien visar på en brist på information om ämnet, samt vikten av tillgänglighet av insamlingskärl för textil återvinning. Vidare påvisas att många företag redan arbetar med cirkulärekonomi och vikten av att kommunicera företagets arbete med hållbarhet till sina kunder.Nyckelord:

Since the beginning of the early 20th century bed rugs have been interesting research objects, but only in passing researchers have paid attention to rugs woven with rags. Noone has taken a closer look upon the reasons why people have woven these rugs. What does the materials of the rag – like recycled garments and interior textiles in the form of clothing rags – have to tell about the times when these rugs were woven? Did the rag rugs have any specific function or were the materials available and therefore used? The main sources of information are 21 rag rugs from Roslagen in Uppland, with a varied amount of rags. They were woven during the latter half of 19th century, and estate inventories from Väddö- and Häverö Ship District have altogether given some answers to the primary question of this paper: in wich way can the examined bed rugs bear witness to the use and value of recycled textile materials and the view of these in the context of the community where they were manufactured and used? This research doesn´t give an answer to whether these rugs have any particular function or not. Instead these rag rugs can be looked upon as representing a general development of the society towards an increasing amount of textiles surplus material. This being due an increasing consumption of factory-made clothing and textiles, manufactured in factories, as well as the paper mills development from producing paper made of cellulose rather than textile waste. To this we can add a principle lingering on from the 19th century, of domestic production and a thrift of resources. This resulted in an obvious recycling of discarded textiles. The home weaving of interior textiles was still strong by the end of the 19th century, and in Rosagen there was also a long tradition of weaving and of using rugs in the beds. At the same time there was, in the coastal regions of Roslagen, a local need for warming covers in boats and boat houses. This demand was related to the shooting of seals and other hunting in the coastal areas, as well as in the fishing- and maritime trades.

Idag förbränns tonvis med textil i Sverige som aldrig har blivit använd. Detta som en effekt av att dagens textilindustri är uppbyggd som en linjär modell där nya råvaror ständigt går in i systemet och avfall lämnar det. Krav ställs nu på nationell nivå i Sverige att textilindustrin måste ställa om och bli cirkulär som en del i att klara klimatmålen. Detta ställer stora krav på svenska företag att hantera det textila restmaterial som uppstår i deras processer på helt nya sätt. För att textilt restmaterial ska kunna bli råvara till en annan produkt behövs nya system och ibland branschöverskridande samarbeten där den enas avfall blir den andres råvara. Denna studie bidrar med insikter om de utmaningar som svenska företag står inför när textila restmaterial ska bli råvara samt hur möjligheter kan tas tillvara genom nätverkande och kunskapsutbyte. Med observationer, en enkät och intervjuer undersöktes textila produktutvecklings- och produktionsföretags behov och hinder för användning av textila restmaterial som råvara. I studien har också de behov av resurser och nätverk företagen har för att kunna öka användandet av textila restströmmar utforskats. Studien visar på att attityden till att samla in textila restströmmar bland producerande företag är positiv och att det finns goda möjligheter för ökad insamling av industriella textila restmaterial med en hög grad av spårbarhet. Den visar också att det för företag som vill använda restmaterial efterlyses möjligheter för effektiv insamling samt bearbetning eller förädling av materialen. Alla delar i värdekedjan behöver ses över och för att möta utmaningen och det finns ett behov av att tänka annorlunda och våga prova nya vägar och samarbeten. Resultatet av denna studie visar på att en plattform för enbart handel av textila restmaterial inte är tillräckligt, företagen behöver också kunna knyta nya kontakter, få se på goda exempel och samverka kring logistiken kring insamling för att uppnå effektivitet. / In today’s textile industry, tons of textiles are incinerated every year without being used once. This because the textile industry today is built like a linear system, in which raw materials enter the system and then leave it in the form of waste. Requirements are now set on a national level in Sweden that requires the textile industry to change its direction and become circular as a part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This poses massive requirements on Swedish textile companies to handle their textile waste material in their processes in new ways. For textile waste material to become the raw material in a new product, new systems are necessary and sometimes cross-industry collaborations are needed. This study aims to contribute with knowledge about the challenges that Swedish textile companies face when textile waste materials are becoming the raw material in new products, and the opportunities to take advantage of through networking and knowledge sharing. With observations, a survey, and semi structured interviews the challenges and opportunities of Swedish textile product developing companies and textile production companies for collecting and using textile waste material was studied. The study also investigates the need for resources and expanded networks that the companies have, to increase the use of textile waste as a raw material. The study shows that the attitude among the production companies to sort and collect their textile waste is positive and that there are great opportunities for an increased collection of textile industrial waste material with a high level of traceability. The study also shows that for the companies that want to use textile waste material as a raw material in their products, new systems for effective collection and processes for refining the materials are asked for. To meet these requirements all parts of the value chain need to be reconsidered and new ways of thinking needs to be applied to try new collaborations and find new paths. The result of the study shows that a platform for just trading materials is not good enough, the companies are also in need of new contacts, inspiration, and solutions for efficient logistics in sorting, collecting, and distributing materials.

Das praxisorientierte Forschungsprojekt widmet sich den Grenzen und Potenzialen der Wiederaufarbeitung von Bekleidung – einer Nischenlösung der Circular Economy. Im Mittelpunkt der Forschungsarbeit steht die Frage, wie die Wiederverwertung von Abfallmaterialien aus der Textilindustrie als Teilflächen mit Hilfe von digitalen Technologien nach-haltig und effektiv gestaltet werden kann. Zudem wird erforscht, welche damit verbundenen ästhetischen Potenziale für den Entwurf neuer Bekleidung entstehen.

The fashion industry is ranked as the fourth most environmentally harmful industries in the world. A main cause being the overruling destructive model of take-make-dispose that maintains our reliance on virgin materials. Academia and European Union policymakers believe the Circular Economy is a more sustainable alternative to this linear model. The transition to a Circular Economy requires collaboration between organisations across the value chain to close the loop. These organisations come together to share their capabilities forming circular ecosystems. However, key authors in the field warn that collaboration is difficult and should only be entered with an intention to actively manage it. In this study we therefore set out to understand collaboration in these ecosystems of organisations in the fashion and textiles industry. To fulfil the aim of our research, we conducted a qualitative study following an interpretative approach, focusing in on a pioneering case study from the industry. The New Cotton Project is a 3-year EU-funded project forming a circular model for commercial garment production. Using the Theory of Collaborative Advantage as a theoretical lens, we came to understand that collaboration in these ecosystems in the fashion and textiles industry is complex and challenging, yet it is optimistic and hopeful as partners try to overcome issues stemming from the pre-existing linear model. We also argue that collaboration that leads to collaborative advantage in these ecosystems is not a result of serendipity but of innovators, organisations and policymakers coming together to transition the industry.

Submitted by Ulrich Garvert (ulrich.garvert@gmx.de) on 2017-11-29T19:14:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Final_Master_Thesis_Ulrich_Garvert_Textile_Recycling.pdf: 4030101 bytes, checksum: 4497870798a58b3d1a7eef253c2486fb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br) on 2017-11-30T12:26:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Final_Master_Thesis_Ulrich_Garvert_Textile_Recycling.pdf: 4030101 bytes, checksum: 4497870798a58b3d1a7eef253c2486fb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-30T12:45:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Final_Master_Thesis_Ulrich_Garvert_Textile_Recycling.pdf: 4030101 bytes, checksum: 4497870798a58b3d1a7eef253c2486fb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-29 / This master thesis analyzes and compares the Brazilian and European textile recycling industries. The research analyzes how both Europe and Brazil can learn from each other to improve the textile recycling process and increase the rate of textile recycling. It puts the topic of textile recycling into a broader perspective of recycling and sustainable supply chains. In that it shows that both in Brazil and Europe there are significant amounts of textile waste both from production processes and from post-consumption. Through the analysis of ten interviews with stakeholders from the European and Brazilian textile recycling industry it is shown that in Europe the industry is significantly ahead through technology and process leadership in certain countries, which is reached through strong research and cooperation along the textile value chain, an aspect not found in Brazil. More specifically it shows that in Brazil a lack of fiscalization of the national policy on solid waste leads to low incentives to comply with the law and to innovate in order to find new solutions for the use of textile waste. As one of the main barriers both in Europe and Brazil the research identifies the lack of sufficient market perspectives and requests consequently investment into research for application of textile waste and its derivative products. / Esta tese de mestrado realiza uma comparação entre as indústrias de reciclagem têxteis brasileiras com as europeias. A pesquisa analisa como a Europa e o Brasil podem aprender um com o outro para melhorarem os processos de reciclagem têxteis bem como aumentarem as taxas do mesmo. O tema da reciclagem de têxteis aplica-se sob uma perspectiva mais ampla de reciclagem e de cadeias de suprimento sustentáveis; na medida em que o estudo demonstra que, tanto no Brasil quanto na Europa, existem quantidades significativas de resíduos têxteis - advindos estes tanto dos processos de produção quanto do pós-consumo. Por meio da execução de dez entrevistas com as partes interessadas do setor de reciclagem têxteis da Europa e do Brasil, percebe-se que na Europa a indústria está significativamente adiante através da liderança de tecnologia e processos reaplicados em certos países - aspecto este alcançado a partir de uma forte pesquisa e cooperação ao longo da cadeia de valor têxtil, que não é encontrado no Brasil. Mais especificamente, depreende-se que no Brasil, devido à ausência ou pouca fiscalização da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos, os incentivos gerados são baixos nos sentidos de se fazer cumprir a lei e levar à busca por inovação (a fim de encontrar novas soluções para o uso de resíduos têxteis). Uma das principais barreiras identificada pela pesquisa, tanto na Europa como no Brasil, é a falta de perspectivas de mercado suficientes e solicitas; consequentemente, assim ocorrendo da mesma forma em relação aos investimentos em pesquisas para a aplicação de resíduos têxteis e seus produtos derivados.

Textilindustrins miljöpåverkan är hög, samtidigt som efterfrågan på textilfibrer ständigt ökar. Inom de kommande åren förväntas textilåtervinningen i Sverige att öka vilket skulle skapa en mer cirkulär resursanvändning som på så sätt kan minska tillverkningen av jungfruliga fibrer. För att återvinningsprocessen för de förbru- kade textilierna ska fungera optimalt krävs en sorteringsmetod med hög säkerhet i materialurskiljning. Inom kriminaltekniska områden används märkvätskor för att märka upp värdefulla föremål. Märkvätskorna baserade på metallsalter skapar unika sifferkoder som kan avläsas med en laserteknik kallad LA-ICP-MS. Om ett märkt föremål blir stulet och sedan återfinns av polisen kan märkvätskan avläsas och kopplas tillbaka till ägaren via en databas. Genom att applicera den osynliga forensiska märkvätskan på textilier var projektets förhoppning att skapa spårbarhet i det textila ledet med fo- kus på att underlätta sorteringsprocessen i återvinningsstadiet. Detta genom att skapa en säker märkning som sitter kvar under textilens hela användarfas. Märk- vätskan som användes i projektet kom från SmartWater Technology Ltd som är det ledande företaget i England inom forensiska märkningar. För att simulera en användarfas för ett bomullsplagg har testmetoder för färghär- dighet mot tvätt samt nötningshärdighet utförts. En extern analys utfördes på Smar- tWaters laboratorium i Telford, England, för att kontrollera om koderna gick att avläsa efter de utförda testerna. Testmetoderna har utförts utefter antagandet att metallkoderna har bättre härdighet än den fluoroscensiska färgen. Vid slitage inne- bär detta att färgen avlägsnas vid ett tidigare skede än metallsalterna, vilket resulte- rar i att kodens placering blir omöjlig att hitta utan dess färg. Under detta projekt har därför den fluoroscensiska färghärdigheten varit i fokus. Resultatet som erhölls från nötnings- och tvätthärdighetstestet analyserades under UV-ljus i ljusskåp genom att jämföra färgförändringen mot ett referensprov. En 5- gradig grå-grå-skala användes för att omvandla färgavvikelsen till numeriska vär- den, vartefter matematiska beräkningar utfördes för att kontrollera statistisk signi- fikans. Studien visade att märkvätskans fluoroscensiska färg försämras i takt med antal tvättar. Färgen försämrades något i jämförelse med referensprovet efter nöt- ning, men ingen signifikant skillnad kunde utläsas mellan provkropparna efter ökat antal varv i Martindalemaskinen. Analysen genom LA-ICP-MS kopplade samtliga provkroppar till korrekt applicerad kod vilket tyder på en säker avläsningsteknik. Baserat på tidigare nämnda resultat förväntas märkvätskan därför klara av en an- vändarfas för exempelvis ett ytterplagg eller en möbel i bomull. Fler tester krävs dock för att säkerhetsställa hur vätskan håller efter tid och ytterligare antal tvättar. Lasertekniken som användes för att avläsa koden är säker, men behöver utvecklas eller bytas ut för att en snabbare sorteringsprocess ska erhållas. / The environmental impact for the textile industry is already high and with an in- creasing demand for textile fibers something has to change within the industry. The textile recycling in Sweden is expected to increase in the coming years, which would create a more circular resource utilization, thus reducing the production of virgin fibers. In order to create an optimal recycling process, a secure sorting method is required in material separation. To be able to track valuable objects within the forensic area, a compound based on metal salts is used to mark the objects. The metal composition can be translated into a specific and unique code with a laser method called LA-ICP-MS. The code can later be connected to a person or an organization registered within a database. This thesis examines the possibility to apply the forensic marking compound on a textile carrier to create a trustworthy traceability within the textile chain that is difficult to remove. Instead of register a person or an organization to a code, the vision was to connect a code to a material or a chemical content within the textile product. The forensic marking system used in this thesis came from SmartWater Technology Ltd, which is the leading company in England within forensic coding. A quantitative study was made to research how the forensic coding system based on metal salts acted on a textile carrier. The researched problem was based to ana- lyze the suitability to use a forensic marker system on a textile carrier with the aim to create traceability within the textile industry and to ease the sorting process. To be able to investigate the problem a simulated phase of use was made. Test methods were performed to analyze the impact of abrasion and the ability to with- stand washing for the forensic marking. An external analysis was made at Smart- Waters laboratory in Telford, England, to examine if the metal salts were de- codable, even when the forensic marking was in a bad condition. All the tests and analysis was made with the supposition that the metal salt coding had a better ad- hesion to the carrier than the fluorescence color. Since the coded area cannot be found without the color, the results have been based on the change in color of the fluorescence marking solution. The conclusion shows that the fluorescence colorfastness was decreasing with the number of washing cycles. Number of cycles in Martindale was not significant for a decrease in colorfastness. The LA-ICP-MS method was able to decode all of the samples and connect them to the applied codes. This indicates that the forensic marking system is durable and can be used to mark a garment or a piece of furni- ture that’s not washed a lot. However, more tests are required to ensure how the solution lasts over time and additional amounts of laundry. The LA-ICP-MC meth- od is secure, but one problem is that it’s stationary and therefore difficult to use in a sorting process.

Klädindustrin är idag en stor bidragande orsak till negativa miljöpåverkningar. Om avtrycket från den industrin ska minska behöver det ”fast fashion” fasas ut och ett nytt sätt att se på kläder implementeras. De enklaste sätten att minska avtrycket är att återanvända eller återvinna kläder. Renewcell återvinner textilier och bryter ner bomullen och återvinner den som nytt material - Circulose®. Det materialet skickas vidare för att bli nya kläder och på så sätt stängs loopen för textilindustrin. Av produktionen av Circulose® tillkommer ett nytt slags processavlopp som inte hunnits forskas mycket på. Paralleller till textilindustrin kan visserligen dras och där är processavloppen av heterogen karaktär. Renewcell vill se om det går att reducera det organiska materialet i avloppet till en nivå på 10 mg/l. Den här studien vill hjälpa till att fylla det forskningsgap som finns för reningsteknik inom textilåtervinningsindustrin idag. Med en ny marknad i uppstart är det viktigt att avlopp hanteras på ett bra och ansvarsfullt sätt. Syftet med studien var att undersöka experimentellt och litterärt om det går att reducera ner BOD7 i Renewcells processavloppet till 10 mg/l. En MBBR har efterforskats och jämförts med en MBR, där en MBBR ansågs vara mer resistent mot variationer och farliga ämnen. Det byggdes en MBBR i laborationsskala kopplat till processavloppet för att analysera reduktionen av BOD7 och för att göra en experimentell undersökning hur den kemiska fällningen påverkas om vattnet behandlades biologiskt först. Studien resulterade i att Renewcells karaktär på processavlopp är heterogent och är hanterbart av mikroorganismer. Dock, på grund av att ingen fullt utvecklad biofilm nåddes samt variationer i processen är det fortfarande osäkert om det fungerar att implementera en MBBR hos Renewcell. Processförändringar som ett produktionsstopp är inga problem för en fullt utvecklad MBBR att hantera. Processavloppet innehåller en stor mängd organiskt material, men saknar tillräckligt med näringsämnen. För detta projekt var 58 % reduktion av BOD7 den högsta som redovisades och det nåddes inte heller en fullt utvecklad biofilm. Att biologiskt behandla avloppet innan en kemisk fällning gav positiva resultat då reduktionen av metalljoner förbättrades. Allt som allt anses det vara möjligt att implementera en MBBR hos Renewcell om rätt förutsättningar finns och det ges en möjlighet att utveckla en biofilm fullt ut. Förhoppningsvis kan denna förstudie visa vägen för vidare studier inom området. / The clothing industry is one of the major causes for negative environmental impacts. The “fast-fashion” needs to be phased out and a more climate-friendly way of using clothes implemented. The easiest ways to do this is to reuse or recycle clothes. Renewcell recycles used textiles and dissolve the cotton into pulp and makes a new material of it - Circulose®, which is sent to become new clothes and, in that way, helps to close the loop for textile industry. With the production of Circulose® a new kind of wastewater is produced which has not yet been thoroughly researched. A parallel to the textile industry’s wastewater can be drawn, and that is of heterogeneous nature and can change quickly from day to day. It is in Renewcell’s interest to reduce the organic matter in the wastewater, more than they do today with their current chemical and mechanic wastewater treatment plant does. This study wants to help fill the research gap that exists for purification technology in the textile recycling industry today. Since it is a new field of technology, it is of importance to thoroughly invest in how to treat the wastewater responsibly. The purpose of this study was to investigate, both experimentally and literary, whether the possibility to reduce BOD7 to 10 mg/l in the wastewater treatment plant. With an investigation of MBBR and by compare it with an MBR it was concluded that a MBBRis a better fit for Renewcell since it is considered to be more resistant to variations and hazardous substances. To strengthen that conclusion a MBBR in laboratory scale was built and wastewater directly from the recycling process treated. The reduction of BOD7 and how it would come to affect the chemical precipitation was analyzed. The results of the study concluded that Renewcells wastewater is heterogenous and manageable for microorganisms. However, the due to the variations in the process such as dosing of biologically harmful substances it might not be possible for Renewcell to implement a MBBR. Process variations as a stop in production of wastewater for a shorter time period is manageable. The wastewater contains enough organic matter, but an extra addition of nutrients is needed. For this project the MBBR-process fluctuated in reduction of organic matter and the highest amount achieved was 58 %. No fully developed biofilm was achieved either. Biologically treating the process effluent before the chemical precipitation gave positive results as the reduction of metal ions was improved. All in all, it is believed to be possible to implement a MBBR at Renewcell if the process is given the required conditions from the beginning and a biofilm can be fully developed. Hopefully, this pilot study can show the way for future research within the field.