Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the world’s largest viscose manufacturer Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) jointly launched a textile recycling research center to produce new fabrics and materials from used fabrics such as old clothes, as reported by the Strait Times on August 4. This represents Singapore’s first attempt at recycling used textiles beyond simply reusing them. The center, named RGE-NTU Sustainable Textile Research Centre (RGE-NTU SusTex), will pilot its research at Singapore’s first textile recycling plant, which is expected to open as early as 2024 and recycle 8,760 tons of fabric waste per year at full capacity, equivalent to the weight of 58.4m T-shirts. The research center has received an SGD6m (USD4.36m) investment from RGE.

Singapore is in urgent need of recycling textile waste, given that the country produced 189,000 tons of textile waste last year with only 4% of such waste repurposed, according to RGE executive director Perry Lim. Lim added that it is essential to devise new methods to recycle textiles into higher-quality materials to extend the service life of raw materials such as cotton. RGE seeks to build a low-carbon and energy-conserving textile recycling plant without the use of toxic chemicals such as bleach to minimize its environmental impact. The research center has a goal aligned with Singapore’s zero waste vision. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint formulated in 2015, the nation aims to raise the domestic recycling rate to 30% by 2030, from 17%, 13%, and 13% in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively.

Sources:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/new-textile-research-centre-launched-to-develop-recycling-techniques-for-new-textile-recycling-plant-here-in-2024

https://technode.global/2022/08/05/ntu-singapore-and-rge-launch-4-4m-joint-research-centre-to-tackle-textile-waste/ptsj

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/recycling-bins-to-be-given-to-each-household-to-raise-domestic-recycling-rate