German
EnglishRecycling
Man-made fibres are ecologically valuable also after their use as products. Whilst cellulosic man-made fibres are biodegradable, synthetic fibres can be reused in the recycling process, via their monomers. Furthermore, many man-made fibres consist of recycled raw materials in the first place. For example, annually some 40 % of old PET bottles in Europe are processed into fibres. This reduces rubbish piles by 10 million PET bottles per day, saving 200 000 tonnes of primary raw materials.
Unlike natural fibres, the energy fraction in man-made fibres can be recovered and used for heating purposes in the form of long-distance heating, saving valuable primary energy.
