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When Leni Rohleder joined the family business, the Rohleder weaving mill based in Konradsreuth, Upper Franconia, as Head of Sustainability five years ago, one thing was clear to her: “I didn’t want to be just the owner’s daughter”. Instead, she looked for a topic she could take responsibility for independently and, at the same time, use to get to know the company, its processes and the people behind it. Sustainability quickly emerged as the obvious focus – partly because it was a topic she cared deeply about.
“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – that was the logical starting point for me,” she explains. In textile designer Melanie Peter, who has been developing fabrics at Rohleder for 25 years, she found an enthusiastic ally. Together, they began to analyse the company’s material streams within the company in greater detail. It soon became clear that the company’s largest waste stream consists of textile scraps – in particular the so-called weaving strips, which are technically unavoidable by-products of the weaving process.
Industrial partners such as the BWF Group, a specialist in technical needle-punched felts and circular-needled speciality products, are already supporting the project with a view to potential industrial applications. After all, the question is no longer simply whether a stool can be made from textile waste. What is far more exciting is what other applications might be possible: could the non-wovens replace foam in the future? Could they even be used to produce new yarns? “That would then truly be a closed-loop system, where we could carry out genuine fibre-to-fibre recycling,” says Leni Rohleder, who is also very open to follow-up projects. Or could the project be applied to other textile sectors?
And what specific insights were gained for the Rohleder company? Leni Rohleder and Melanie Peter are in agreement on this: “We are certainly benefiting from a significant transfer of knowledge regarding sustainability. We have also been able to significantly expand our network.” And last but not least, the company’s own production processes were scrutinised and adjusted in one or two areas to further reduce waste.
For Leni Rohleder and Melanie Peter, one thing is clear: sustainability is not a short-term trend, but a long-term process of change. Even if economic pressure and rising costs are currently often pushing the issue into the background. “You can certainly see that many companies are just focused on economic survival at the moment,” says Leni Rohleder. “But that is precisely why we need to think ahead and gain experience now. That way, we’ll be prepared when demands increase.”
RecyTube impressively demonstrates just how much innovative potential lies in what is often regarded as waste – and that the circular economy for textiles can only work if research, industry and design break new ground together.
