The old jeans in a new role

In order to tackle textile waste effectively, it is essential to commit to substantial research efforts that are in line with the principles of the Circular Economy. Managing the waste of denim fabric is very important, as it is one of fundamental textile materials in the global apparel market. Our research has concentrated on developing methods for converting post-consumer denim trousers from selective clothing waste collection into new products for technical purposes. For their characterization we used advanced analytical techniques, i.e. SEM, FTIR-ATR, UV–VIS, DSC, TG/DTG, ICP-MS, GC–MS/MS. The analysis revealed that the denim waste, which consists mainly of cotton but also contains varying amounts of polyester and elastane fibers, is free from harmful chemical substances and can be recycled without prior cleaning. We developed new nonwoven fabrics and hard boards with different structures and tailored properties, such as acoustic, thermal, fire retardant, bioactive and electrical. We analyzed both the final products and the influence of process parameters on their properties.

Graphical abstract