Betrachtung und Vergleich zweier End-of-Life-Szenarien eines „Polycotton“-Bettlakens aus ökologischer Sicht unter dem Aspekt des Textilrecyclings

Abstract

An ecological transformation of the current textile sector is essential and the voices calling for such a transformation are becoming increasingly louder. This is particularly evident in light of the European Union's requirements for a sustainable textile industry and the demands for a circular economic system. The amount of textile waste is continuously increasing, while textile recycling is still in its infancy. In view of the significant increase in textile waste, landfilling and incineration, which results in the loss of valuable resources, do not pose to be sustainable solutions. This paper therefore aims to compare two End-of-Life scenarios using the example of a bed sheet and, on this basis, to identify the end-of-life that is preferable from an environmental perspective. Further, a comparison is made between downcycling and a variant of chemical recycling, enzymatic hydrolysis. Downcycling involves further processing of the bed sheet into cleaning rags, while chemical recycling enables the recovery of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and glucose. In order to answer the question, two life cycle assessment (LCA) screenings were carried out, making the environmental impact of the two end-of-life scenarios visible and thus comparable. The results of the LCA screenings show that, from an ecological point of view, downcycling and thus extending the service life of the bed sheet is to be favoured. These results, however, do not adequately reflect reality, as the secondary raw materials PET and glucose can in turn be used to make new, higher-quality products and the cleaning cloths are disposed of after a single use. From a life cycle assessment perspective, downcycling is therefore preferable, although the secondary raw materials from chemical recycling have a higher economic value.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German
Supervisor	Christian B. Schimper (Supervisor) & Franz Theuretzbacher (Supervisor)