TTNA looks to reduce textile waste
The Technical Textiles & Nonwoven Association (TTNA) has released a proposal backing up its bid to develop the Australian Fibre & Textile Environmental and Recycling Cooperative Research Centre (AFTER-CRC).
With an increased focus on the reuse and regeneration of fibrous material, the TTNA hopes to engage manufactures, retailers and research and education institutions ahead of the 2010 Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) Program selection round later this year. The CRCs Program is a government initiative that seeks to deliver significant economic, environmental and social benefits to Australia by pursuing solutions to challenges that are innovative, of high impact and capable of being effectively deployed by end-users.
Kerryn Caulfield, executive manager of the TTNA says: “While fibrous inputs are the TCF [textile, clothing and footwear] industry’s greatest overhead, approximately one million tonnes of fibrous waste are buried in Australian landfills every year. Fibrous waste is an unrealised source of valuable raw materials that can be reclaimed for further use by developing frontier technology.”
Ms Caulfield believes the proposed CRC will give interested companies an opportunity to exploit the commercial opportunities resulting from the centre’s activities. She says: “Who would have thought 30 years ago that fortunes would be made from recycling goods such as paper and tyres?”
