NTG breathes new life into used textiles

Textiles are essential for human welfare, but today’s global textile industry wreaks havoc on the environment – from overconsumption of natural resources to water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and landfill waste. In addition, only 1 per cent of used clothes is recycled into new clothes.

One solution is to increase the recycling of used textiles. To encourage this, as from 1 January 2025, the EU and EEA countries will be required to sort textile waste from residual waste using a separate collection system. However, there are few recycling solutions for handling textile waste locally.

NTG recycles textile waste into fibres suitable for new textile production, known as textile-to-textile recycling. Most of this waste currently comes from the healthcare and hospitality sectors and contains cotton and polyester-cotton blends, which the company recycles into high-quality fibres for textile production.

The process creates a closed-loop system in which used textiles, previously regarded as waste for landfill or incineration, are introduced back into the value chain, transforming it from linear to circular.

In addition, the company conducts R&D to further develop circularity in textiles. “In the next phase, we will use camera technology, AI and the like to sort the textile waste more quickly and boost efficiency in the entire process,” states Pål Erik Haraldsen, CEO of NTG.

One such R&D project, called Innovating Norwegian Wool, recycles production waste from the Norwegian wool industry.

NTG can significantly reduce textile waste from the industry, which has huge environmental benefits. For example, by decreasing the need for new production of virgin fibres, the company helps to reduce water and energy consumption, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions.

“We have the potential to save 90 to 97 per cent in CO₂ equivalents when virgin fibres are replaced with NTG recycled fibres,” says Haraldsen.

Moreover, NTG utilises an innovative machine process that eliminates the use of toxic chemicals. “Mechanical textile-to-textile recycling is a key to solving the textile industry’s global environmental challenges,” he adds.

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles seeks to create a greener, more competitive textile sector. By 2030, all textile products placed on the EU market must be durable, repairable and recyclable, made largely of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, and produced in respect of social rights and the environment.

As such, NTG is ideally positioned to help European textile companies to achieve these goals. “With the new requirements coming over the next few years, the use of recycled fibres will increase dramatically, including in new garment production,” states Haraldsen.

“We are part of a new industry that will expand in Norway and elsewhere in Europe,” he concludes.