An international consortium led by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ FABRIC project), the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel Limited (HKRITA), Chip Mong Insee, Dakota Industrial, H&M Foundation, and VF Corporation recently announced an ambitious proposal to address textile waste in Cambodia.
According to a news release from the German embassy in Cambodia, a feasibility study is underway to deploy The Green Machine—the world’s first recycling technology capable of recovering mixed textiles on a massive scale in Cambodia by 2022. Through its FABRIC initiative, which was carried out on behalf of the German minister for economic cooperation and development, GIZ brought together essential partners from the garment distribution chain to study the Green Machine’s industrial growth in Cambodia (BMZ).
The Green Machine, developed by HKRITA with financing from the H&M Foundation, is the world’s first huge technology for separating and recycling polyester/cotton blend fabrics without compromising quality.
Single-material recycling has long been possible, but recycling blends—cotton and polyester mixes are the most popular type of textile in the world—has not. Through its FABRIC initiative, which was carried out on behalf of the German minister for economic cooperation and development, GIZ brought together essential partners from the garment distribution chain to study the Green Machine’s industrial growth in Cambodia (BMZ).
The Green Machine, developed by HKRITA with financing from the H&M Foundation, is the world’s first huge technology for separating and recycling polyester/cotton blend fabrics without compromising quality.
Solitary recycling has long been possible, but recycling blends—cotton and polyester mixes are the most common type of textile in the world—has not. The Green Machine uses just heat, water, and less than 15% of a sustainable chemical in a closed-loop system to segregate cotton and polyester materials.