Motivation

A significant percentage of textiles, in several applications, contain an elastic component that makes them suitable for certain roles: from fashion and sportswear to home textiles and medical fabrics, elastic confers enhanced performance in certain environments. Since its development, the most common is elastane (Lycra), offering excellent elasticity, which is inherently lacking in standard textiles, whether synthetic or natural. An addition of no more than one and three percent into the composition of a fabric greatly enhances its elasticity. However, the nature of elastane inhibits the ability to recycle the fabric, whether due to the difficulty of separating it from natural fibers, the impossibility of reprocessing it alongside synthetic materials, or removing it through chemical routes without damaging the material with which it is combined. 

The growing concern for the sustainability of the textile sector and the drive to achieve a circular system in which pollution and environmental damage tends to zero has subjected the entirety of practices, processes, and materials used to exhaustive scrutiny, emphasizing alternatives capable of meeting the same needs while having a lesser impact on the environment.