WSA November-December is available now
WSA November-December is now available in digital form and the features from the magazine will begin to filter onto sportstextiles.com next week.
Themes emerging strongly from this last issue of 2020 include the ongoing need for clothing and footwear brands and manufacturers to expand their sustainability strategies beyond recycling initiatives.
For example, a detailed article about polyester recycling includes this thought from Houdini chief executive, Eva Karlsson. She says that recycling polyester is better than putting used items into landfill and better than using new fibres made from hydrocarbons, but it is “far from enough”.
In parallel, we write about a recent report called ‘Breaking The Plastic Wave’, which also makes the point that recycling plastic can only ever be a contributing factor to reducing plastic waste. It calls on consumers to buy and use fewer plastic products, making do with less in general and choosing other materials instead of plastic when they do decide to buy new products.
Positive news from this is that, as a result, the market for non-plastic materials could grow by 5 million tonnes per year, creating opportunities for the suppliers of other fibres.
