Biocomposites from Cotton Denim Waste for Footwear Components

Abstract

The materials' production applied in the footwear industry corresponds to about 80% of the impacts generated in the total useful life of shoes. Cotton denim waste presents great opportunities for recycling. Logistical issues are the main point to industrial waste availability as raw material. This research aimed to describe the case study of denim wastes logistics from a clothes factory at Toritama city, Pernambuco state, Brazil (known as the "city of jeans"), and to develop biocomposites from cotton denim wastes (shredded and powder fibers) for application in the footwear components. A better destination could be provided for all denim wastes generation since it is easy to separate different denim composition wastes in the factory before the collection. However, blended fabrics are a complex issue for denim waste employment. The obtained biocomposite layers could be improved for applications in footwear components, mainly "soft" composites in insoles and "condensed" composites in toe-puffs and other shoe reinforcement components. Denim wastes employed in footwear components could reduce the amounts that end up in landfills and could replace certain petroleum-based components in shoes. Thus, the footwear industry could invest in future research and applications of biocomposites for sustainable manufacturing models.

Geri Dönüştürülmüş Polietilen Ambalaj Atıkları ile Lamine Edilmiş Denim Kumaşların Mekanik Analizi

“…In textile industry, the impact of denim production on environmental degradation is extremely dangerous due to both being one of the most widely used fabrics and the high amount of chemicals used during its production [9,10]. Cotton is the main raw material used in denim production [11].…”