OUR GOAL
Reducing textile waste landfilling
by offering novel packaging materials
You probably wonder how and why should textile waste replace cardboard that can be easily recycled into new packaging.
Out of 12.6 million tons of textile waste generated in EU every year only 22% is recycled into new products.
Learn more below!
Prerequisites of our research
The rigid packaging made of textile waste has numerous advantages over the cardboard.
It comes with a positive environment impact and helps upvalueing mixed textile waste that is difficult to recycle.
Cardboard packaging
Cardboard boxes have long been the standard packaging material for parcel deliveries. However, their widespread use comes with significant environmental consequences. The production of cardboard boxes requires the felling of trees, contributing to deforestation and habitat loss. Additionally, the manufacturing process involves large amounts of water, energy, and chemicals, leading to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Moreover, the disposal of cardboard boxes often results in them being sent to landfills, where they decompose and emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Cardboard boxes are generally believed to be fairly sustainable for their expected high content of recycled cardboard and other timber wastes and by-products. However, while in the developed world 90% of cardboard thrown away is collected for reuse and recycling purposes, only 54% of thrown away cardboard end up in the actual new cardboard production. The rest is made into other products, incinerated, or landfilled.
Textile waste packaging
In contrast to cardboard boxes, the packaging made from recycled textile waste offers a compelling alternative with numerous environmental advantages. By utilizing discarded textiles, such as old clothes and fabrics, as the raw material for packaging, this approach reduces the need for new resource extraction and landfill space. Additionally, using recycled textiles in packaging could reduce water consumption, as it eliminates the need for extensive processing and bleaching required in cardboard manufacturing.
By embracing the packaging made of recycled textile waste, brands can contribute to the circular economy, divert the waste from landfills, and reduce their own carbon footprint. Packaging from recycled textile waste enables to align with the ESG requirements, differentiate brands in the market and contribute positively to the environment.
This eco-friendly packaging option also resonates with consumers who are increasingly seeking for sustainable products and are likely to appreciate businesses that prioritize environmental responsibility.
Complying with the EU Green Deal
KIUD offers solution that not only aligns with the EU Green Deal but also embodies the principles of the circular economy within the fashion and textile sector.
By minimizing textile waste from which 78% is today landfilled, incinerated or exported to 3rd countries, we repurpose this valuable circular material into one of the most widely used products – the high quality and durable premium packaging.
ESG compliance
Packaging from recycled textile waste complies with the ESG requirements
Reducing CO2
Contribution to circular economy and reducing the carbon footprint
Market differentiation
Novel packaging enables to differentiate the brand in the market
The environmental impact
Life cycle impact assesment for comparing both textile waste and cardboard packaging systems was carried out using the 2016 ReCipe (H) midpoint method across 18 impact categories, mostly focusing on 3:
- Climate change (measured in CO2 equivalent with the warming potential over the course of 100 years).
- Water depletion (measured in cubic meters).
- Agricultural land transformation (measured in square meters per year).
The life cycle assessment was carried out in OpenLCA platform by certified environmental experts.
Global warming
Assesses and focuses on the emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), which contribute to the Earth’s rising temperatures and the climate change.
Water consumption
Assesses the amount of water withdrawn or consumed throughout the life cycle of the product or the activity. It takes into account both the direct use of water and the indirect water footprint associated with processes or inputs.
Land use
Assesses the environmental impact associated with the change of land use. Land use refers to the occupation, transformation, or alteration of land for various purposes – agriculture, urban development, or industrial activities.
Gradle-to-grave assessment
By utilizing discarded textiles, such as old clothes and fabrics, as the raw material for packaging, enables to reduce the need for new resource extraction and landfill space.
KIUD’s technology reduces the water consumption as it eliminates the need for extensive processing and bleaching required in cardboard manufacturing.
Disposal of KIUD packaging
via textile waste stream
KIUD material consists of 100% of textile fibers and is manufactured via novel thermomechanical processing without using any chemicals or water. This makes the recycling of discarded KIUD packaging easy.
Therefore, the end-of-life KIUD packaging can be recycled via conventional textile waste streams. KIUD packaging waste has been successfully tested via traditional non-woven recycling machinery with the yield of 80%.
The success rate of developing the effective recycling schemes owns to a well-working infrastructure and the collaboration between the governmental institutions, sorting centers, recyclers, manufacturers and the consumers.