Alsico says that the development overcomes one of the biggest barriers to the recycling of hi-vis clothing. End-of-life garments with reflective strips are typically incinerated, owing to the tightly bonded composite construction of the strips.
One of Alsico's partners, Middlesbrough, UK-based Stuff4Life, has developed a process for depolymerising polyester (PES), which can be used to separate and preserve the glass beads in hi-vis strips. Laboratory analysis confirms that the recovered beads remain intact, spherical and optically effective, retaining up to 80% of their reflectivity compared with new beads.
Alsico says that the technology enables up to 100% of glass beads, and more than 75% by weight of the total reflective strip material, to be recovered (when the reflective strips are manufactured on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) backing fabric). Testing by Coats, of London, UK, has confirmed that the recovered beads meet the criteria required for their use in new reflective tapes and materials.
Global Trims Director at Coats, Joerg Jakobi, says: “Maintaining bead integrity and optical performance is fundamental. The Stuff4Life process delivers recovered beads that remain suitable for use in advanced reflective systems.”
The Head of the alsico academy, Vincent Siau, adds: “By actively investing in recovery solutions and setting clear standards for recyclability, recycled content and closed-loop operations, we are continuing to build the infrastructure required to make circular workwear a reality at scale.”
The Director of Stuff4Life, John Twitchen, concludes: “This work shows that we can close the loop not only on polyester, but on complex components such as reflective beads. It is a major step toward genuinely circular protective garments.”