German cotton spinner Gebrüder Otto has partnered with the Recycling Atelier at ITA Augsburg on a year-long project to create cotton towels using yarns made from 50% post-consumer recycled fiber, with support from the German Federal Environmental Foundation.

“The global cotton harvest has remained fairly stable at around 100 to 120 million bales annually for the last two decades, with limited potential for expansion,” says Otto’s managing director Andreas Merkel. “Land, water, and ideal climate are all crucial, but in Germany alone, about 1.6 million tons of textile waste are collected annually. This untapped resource could serve as a ‘new cotton field’ for us, and we regularly receive requests from customers seeking customized circular solutions.”

“Currently, nearly 75% of Germany’s 1.6 million tons of textile waste ends up in landfills or incinerated,” adds Dr. Georg Stegschuster, head of the Recycling Atelier at ITA Augsburg. “Only about 1% of used textiles are recycled fiber-to-fiber, and we need to raise this percentage significantly.”

According to a feasibility study by ITA Augsburg, producing this type of yarn is viable and has substantial economic and environmental benefits. Compared to virgin cotton, yarn made from post-consumer recycled fibers uses significantly less water and energy and generates much lower CO₂ emissions, with an environmental impact just one-tenth that of new cotton.

The project is now focused on improving the recycling process, which involves converting discarded textiles into reusable fibers. White, single-material towels are particularly suited for this process. Gebrüder Otto is also refining its spinning techniques to handle the unique properties of recycled fibers, which are generally shorter and have different surface characteristics compared to new cotton.