Clothes as a disposable item?

Each year 53 million t of clothing are produced, less than 1 % is recirculated into new textile fibers. In India, 50 % of the pesticides used are already used for cotton cultivation. By the year 2050, 22 Mta of new microplastics will burden our oceans, a part of it has its origins in the textile sector – when washing clothing containing plastic, abrasion creates microplastics, which in the first step gets into the washing water. You will find many more interesting details on the topic ”The limitations of textile recycling“ on page 46.

With the focus on plastics please read our cover story ”Circular Economy: Hot Topic K 2019“ from p. 6, as well as an interview with Ms. Petra Cullmann, Global Portfolio Director Plastics & Rubber at Messe Düsseldorf. Plastics are also part of the article ”Successful retrieval“ on p. 22 – more than half a ton of ghost nets could be hauled out of the sea near Rügen and handed over to a recycling company.

Whishing you a nice and interesting summer

Dr. Petra Strunk
Editor-in-Chief recovery