Reflective recycling
A new technology from manufacturer of protective workwear, Alsico, overcomes a significant barrier to recycling hi-vis clothing: reflective strips that have traditionally forced garments into incineration due to their tightly bonded composite construction
A new structure
The product, developed in in collaboration with Stuff4Life and Coats, makes use of Stuff4Life’s patented polyester depolymerisation process. Developed with technical validation from Teesside University, the product has been shown to separate and preserve the glass beads from hi-vis safety strips during processing. Laboratory analysis confirms that the recovered beads remain intact, spherical and optically effective, retaining up to 80% of their reflectivity compared with new material.
Through this approach, up to 100% of glass beads can be captured through filtration, and that more than 75% of the total reflective strip material can be recovered by weight when reflective strips are manufactured on PET backing fabric. The findings pave the way for future hi-vis strips containing 100% recycled beads, helping manufacturers create genuinely circular safety garments without compromising safety or compliance. Performance testing by Coats confirms the recovered beads meet the criteria required for reuse in new reflective tapes and materials.
Circular design
The breakthrough supports Alsico’s long-term approach to circular design, recovery and reuse through arx, reinforcing its ambition to create closed-loop solutions for complex workwear garments and reduce end-of-life incineration.
Vincent Siau, head of the Alsico academy, said: “Recycling reflective strips has long been a critical challenge for hi-vis workwear. Until now, garments containing these materials were typically destined for incineration. These results show that a closed-loop pathway is technically achievable and brings us closer to making circular hi-vis garments a reality. By actively investing in recovery solutions and setting clear standards for recyclability, recycled content and closed-loop operations, we are continuing to build the infrastructure required to make circular workwear a reality at scale.”
The recovery of reflective glass beads opens new design opportunities and provides garment manufacturers, trim specialists, laundries and distributors with a clear technical pathway for designing hi-vis components with recovery and reuse in mind. The work also aligns with alsico’s 3CL by arx project, which aims to deliver a fully closed-loop workwear solution.
Joerg Jakobi, Global Trims Director at Coats, shared: “Maintaining bead integrity and optical performance is fundamental. The Stuff4Life process delivers recovered beads that remain suitable for use in advanced reflective systems.”
John Twitchen, Director of Stuff4Life, added: “This work shows that we can close the loop not only on polyester, but on complex components such as reflective beads. It’s a major step toward genuinely circular protective garments.” For more information about alsico’s circular initiatives, visit www.alsico.com/sustainability.
For more information visit: www.alsico.eu
