Physical properties of plain and twill woven fabrics produced from carded and recycled cotton yarn

Cotton is the leading natural fiber in the apparel and fashion industry. One of the reasons for this high demand is the belief that cotton is an environmentally safe product since cotton is a biodegradable fiber obtained from natural sources. However, contrary to what is conceived, cotton fiber has some ecological drawbacks, both in the cultivation and during processing. Recycling of fibers, such as polyester, obtained from synthetic polymers is widely applied for a long time. Even some synthetic yarns obtained from wastes have been branded. However, in terms of cotton, the recycling ratio does not seem to be as good as synthetic ones. One of the reasons for this situation is the opinion of insufficient quality of recycled or reclaimed cotton products. The purpose of this study was to compare some main mechanical properties of recycled cotton clothing fabrics with the ones obtained from carded cotton and by this way showing the potential of recycled cotton fibers in the clothing industry. Besides that, we summarized the ecological drawbacks of cotton cultivation and processing and reviewed current challenges that the textile industry has to overcome in cotton recycling.