New durable yarn is developed with classic technology

New durable yarn is developed with classic technology

"Sustainability is a major problem in the textile industry and as a textile engineer I feel a responsibility to do something about it"

University of Borås has developed a program for textiles that has a strong emphasis in technology. A group of researchers is working in creating a more sustainable way of developing fabrics. 

"The goal was to produce a yarn with as much recycled fibre as possible. Unfortunately, it is not possible to spin a yarn of 100 percent recycled material; the recycled fibres must be mixed with longer fibres. Hemp and flax are two of the most durable fibres available and both have very good properties for yarn spinning. That's why I tried different mixtures to see which mixture of recycled fibres, cotton, and linen worked best."

The result was a yarn with a content of 60 per cent recycled fibres and a thickness of 80 tex, the unit used to measure a yarn thickness.

"80 tex is really quite thick; I had preferred a thinner yarn of around 30 tex but with this technique I don’t know if it is possible, so we are still satisfied with the result," she says.