TecRecyc

Aiming to Reduce the Environmental Impact to Zero Through the Reuse of Discarded Materials

The impact that the fashion industry has on the environment has been a big issue around the world.

The Ministry of Environment reported that manufacturing processes, from material procurement to spinning and sewing clothing, to product transport, are responsible for emitting approximately 90,000 tons of C02 and using around 8.3 billion m3 of water per year. Additionally, 508,000 tons of clothing are discarded in Japan annually. Calculated per day, this is the equivalent of enough to fill 130 heavy-duty trucks.

“TecRecyc” is a global recycled material project that aims to lessen the burden on the environment. Focusing on three materials, polyester, nylon, and acrylic, TecRecyc has accepted the challenge of lowering the environmental impact of the fashion industry by reducing CO2 emissions through reusing previously discarded materials.

Reason for Selection What does it mean
to choose sustainable materials?

Do you know what material the clothes you are wearing right now are made from?
Polyester is the most used fiber in clothing manufacturing, commanding 54% of the share in 2021. The market share of reused polyester fiber is increasing marginally going from 14.7% in 2020 to 14.8% in 2021.

In 2021, Textile Exchange and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (UNFCCC) declared a challenge to accelerate the recycled polyester market through a code of conduct, making a promise that the market share would increase to 45% by 2025.
(Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2022)

If you choose TecRecyc, a recycled material, you will be contributing to reduced river pollution, planting trees, and forest conservation activities. You will also be helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which cause rising temperatures that lead to destruction of the environment and ecosystems, resulting in food shortages.

Reduction effect of changing
one polyester garment to TecRecyc

If 33 polyester garments are changed to TecRecyc, CO2 emissions can be reduced to the equivalent of 8.8 kgCO2eq, the annual amount absorbed by one cedar tree.

  • *Amount of reduction when 1kg of polyester is changed to recycled material: 1.0755kgCO2/kg
  • *Assuming each polyester garment weights an average of 250g
If 33 polyester garments are changed to TecRecyc, CO2 emissions can be reduced to the equivalent of 8.8 kgCO2eq, the annual amount absorbed by one cedar tree.

Reduction effect of changing all polyester products
manufactured by TOYOSHIMA to TecRecyc

By reducing CO2 emissions to the equivalent of the annual amount absorbed by 2.5 million cedar trees (2500ha), it is possible to gain the same CO2 absorption effect as creating a forest with the area of 520 Tokyo Domes.

If all products were changed to TecRecyc, emissions equivalent to the annual amount of 2.5 million cedar trees could be reduced
Note:
・One hectare of a well-maintained forest of 36- to 40-year-old cedar trees is assumed to store about 320 tons of CO2 (approximately 82 tons when converted to carbon content).
・Additionally, the same one hectare of 36- to 40-year-old cedar tree forest is assumed to absorb about 8.8 tons of CO2 (approximately 2.4 tons when converted to carbon content) per year.
・Assumption that there are 1,000 trees planted within one hectare of the 40-year-old cedar tree forest.
Source: Website of Forestry Agency

TecRecyc is also contributing to carbon offset through “more trees,” a general incorporated association. For example, if one product with a TecRecyc tag is purchased, 10 yen will be donated to forest conservation groups, contributing to about 1000g of carbon offset. (Trial calculation based on forest restoration in Higashi-shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture）

moreTrees

TecRecyc×1
With a single tag, the CO2 generated by turning an LED lightbulb on for 250 hours can be offset.
TecRecyc×5
With five tags, the CO2 generated by one person for one day can be offset.
TecRecyc×7
With seven tags, the amount of CO2 it would take to travel from Tokyo to Nagoya by train can be offset.

But this doesn’t mean there has to be sacrifices when it comes to functionality, comfortability, or design. Caring for the environment while still enjoying fashion should be the global standard aimed for in the future.

POLYESTER

What’s different about
TecRecyc’s recycled polyester?

In addition to material recycling of used PET bottles to create recycled polyester, TecRecyc also uses chemical recycling to chemically decompose fabrics and recombine them, eliminating the need to throw out excess cloth or clothing. Chemically recycled polyester, which can be recycled many times, has been proven to reduce emissions of CO2 by around 60% compared to the pellet manufacturing process of virgin polyester.

The impact on the environment differs greatly depending on the manufacturing process.

Virgin Polyester
Virgin Polyester

Virgin polyester is derived from petroleum. The use of petroleum resources and the amount of CO2 released from factories create a heavy burden on the environment, which has become a global issue. In Japan, the amount of CO2 released due to polyester manufacturing is approximately 768,000 tons. (Source: The Japan Research Institute, Limited)

Material Recycling
Material Recycling

Used PET bottles are crushed, melted, and regenerated into threads. Around 9 million tons were produced in 2021, with about 99% of recycled polyester coming from recycled PET bottles. (Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report 2022)

Chemical Recycling
Chemical Recycling

Cutting scraps, residual, and discarded clothing are chemically decomposed, regenerated into chips, and reverted into crude raw materials. As they are recombined at the molecular level, this process of recycling can be repeated many times.

NYLON

Enjoy the vivid colors of
TecRecyc’s nylon

Recycled spin-dyed nylon is produced by creating chips from scraps and fish nets produced during the product manufacturing process. Chips are dyed, imbuing them with vivid coloration that doesn’t fade or blur. In addition to reducing CO2 emissions, TecRecyc’s nylon also contributes to the reduction of water pollution due to the dyeing process.

ACRYLIC

Achieving success with acrylic,
a notoriously difficult material to recycle

Because acrylic is often used in blends, it’s long been considered a difficult material to recycle. TecRecyc partnered with a global acyclic manufacturer and were able to succeed in releasing a recycled acrylic material that reuses acrylic material scraps produced at factories. Through recycling acrylic, which is usually incinerated as waste, we can contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

As more and more people feel a heightened sense of urgency when it comes to environmental issues, the recycling of PET bottles has become an everyday practice. But what about other kinds of materials? Polyester isn’t the only environmental pollution issue that stems from fashion manufacturing.
If polyester can be recycled, why not other materials as well? With that in mind, we repeated trial and error to develop diversified recycled materials, arriving at the current stage where the TecRecyc project, which develops recycled materials for polyester, nylon, and acrylic, has been realized.

Even if it is costly and time consuming, for the sake of the planet’s future, we want to contribute to the overall reduction of CO2 released by the fashion industry’s supply chain by steadily working toward processes that incorporate recycling.
TecRecyc will continue to make updates on further achievements of this project as they are realized.

CONTACT

To contact TecRecyc for any related inquiries,
please use the information below.

TOYOSHIMA & Co., Ltd.　Marketing & Sales Planning Dept.

Nagoya Head Office
15-15, Nishiki 2-chome, Nakaku, Nagoya, Japan 460-8671

Tokyo Head Office
2-1, Kanda-iwamotocho, Chiyodaku, Tokyo, Japan 101-0033

info@tec-recyc.com