Polyester - A Necessity

POLYESTER - A NECESSITY
FEBRUARY 2021
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36
25 Coaching your team members to perform at a Higher Level
CONTENTS
Ms. Ragini Gupta
Mr. Akshat Tamboli
Mr. Sayank Nandi
Ms. Swaranjali Suhas Joshi
Dr. Ravindra Kale
Ms. Rashi Trivedi
Ms.Annu Jain
Mr. Rajiv Mishra
Ms. Anvita Angaonkar
Dr. Pravin Ukey
CONTRIBUTORS
Mr. Akash Deshmukh
Ms. Trupti Pawar
Dr. N.N. Mahapatra
Ms. Mayuri Thakur
Dr. Basu
Mr. Vinod Chothani
Mr. Nitin Madkaikar
Ms. Nur Hanu Aqilah Binti
Salehin
Mr. Thomas P.S. Ong
COVER STORY
07 Polyester Value Chain
08
PET a necessary Evil
10
Application of Polyester in Technical Textile Sector :
An overview
Polyester Recycling Strategies
13
The emerging future for Polyester
22
Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the education of
Undergraduate Textile Students and its Relative effects
09
Clothing from Bhimal Fibres
AUTOMATION
35
46 Webinar on Technical Textile 2021
ADVERTISER INDEX
Back Page : Raymond
Back Inside :Global fire
Apparel makers demand a fresh stimulus package for the
Upcoming Eid festivals
TEXTILE MANAGEMENT
EVENT REPORT
52
FABRIC REPORT
Lockdown in UK and Eurpoe has drastically changed
the market of import and export
EXPORT REPORT
54 Yarn export marginally up in January , Cotton EBBS
NEWS
55 Multiple ups and downs seen in Cotton industry
CASE STUDY
56 Ikea in Mumbai
Study on Production techniques used by Local Tailors
SUSTAINABLE FIBRES
29
47 LIVA Launches AW 21-22 collection, swatches at display
accorss Jaipur, Tirupur and Noida LAPF Studios.
48 Hybrid Trade Show concept with various innovations for the
Entire manmade fibres industry
Front Inside : Rimtex
Page 3 : n9 resil chemical
Page 4 Yarn expo
26
48 Oerlikon to be operationally climate neutral by 2030
49 The montex coat ticks all the Right boxes for coating success
in 2021
50 Khitish Pandya : Founder , Eco Tasar
HR FOCUS
COTTON REPORT
STUDY : LOCAL TAILORS
TECHNICAL TEXTILE
51Textile vs Technology: Created to Please or Displease?

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
6
Decade long fights between natural and Synthet-
ic / Manmade fibres are still on going and always
will be. Natural fibre being more sustainable and
safe for environment and human body is always
on priority, but as a natural land and resources
are depleting , fossil fuel clothing is alternate so-
lution mankind discovered.
Conversion from Fruits, Vegetables, Plants, Dairy
products, Minerals, rocks, Animals etc are the
new discovery for Natural Fibers manufacturer,
Making sustainable fibers from these is not only
boost to fashion industry but it also give boost
to Agriculture and other industries. Fossil Fuels
conversion in the different material given more
opportunity to man made fibers manufacturer
making fibers at cheaper rate with more value
added variety . Elastic Fibers need more research
and development.
Polyester, being one of the important versatile
fiber and its applications has made it a wonder fi-
bre. Although it is known that we cannot depend
forever on fossil fuels for its production, it has
become an indispensable in our daily lives. The
controversy over polyester being sustainable as
a textile materials remains debatable. Research
and Development has given the world innovative
textiles from new manmade fibres. The list is ex-
panding with emerging new entrants in the tex-
tile Industry. Polyester continues to add value….
Wish you Satisfactory Financial Year End !
Ms. Ragini Gupta
E D I T O R I A L
JIGNA SHAH
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Manmade or Natural ?
War Continues…

7
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
POLYESTER VALUE CHAIN
Ragini GUPTA
Trainee Editor at TVC
P.G Student, Department of Textile Science and Apparel Design
SNDT Women’s University
The origin has many names
and named by the companies pro-
ducing it. It started with the dis-
covery of Nylon in United States
then Terylene in England. In 1951
Du Pont started selling it in the
name of Dacron.
One must be aware that half of
the clothes we wear are made of
polyester – a man-made synthetic
fiber that is derived from petrol
and coal. It is made of chemical
reactions between acid and al-
cohol in which two or molecules
come together to a make a large
molecule which has a repetitive
nature and is relatively stronger
than other fibres. For better un-
derstanding, Poly means “many”
and ester means a “basic organic
compound”. And the principle
component of it is Ethylene which
comes from Petroleum. Ethylene
is also a polymer which is a chemi-
cal building block and the process
that produces polyester is called
“Polymerization”.
Now there are two main Polyes-
ters sold widely – PET and PCDT.
However PET is stronger the PCDT
and PCDT has more elasticity then
PET. PCDT is used more in home
draperies and furnishings and PET
is either used alone or blended
with other fibers to make it stain
and wrinkle resistant.
It is normally compared with cot-
ton – the other most important
natural fiber. The comparison in-
cludes durability, breathability,
accessibility, finishing and many
more. One gives you more biodeg-
radability and other is a disaster
for our environment. Polyester
is one of those fibers which are
harmful for our environment. But
since it is impossible to reverse;
the world people are now trying
to increase the biodegradability of
polyester as well. Let us know the
new changes and biodegradable
solutions to the textile and fashion
industry, so that even we can con-
tribute towards the betterment of
our world. Since we live in a soci-
ety where we can not do without
textiles, one thing we can do is use
resources which are already avail-
able or can be recycled or reduced
in a formal way.
Polyester is made in four forms:
1. Staple – polyester that are short
in length and are easy to blend.
2. Filament – Polyester that are
lengthy and are smooth as well.
3. Tow – long filaments blended
loosely to each other
4. Fiberfill – voluminous form
that are used in quilts, pillows etc.
Its main properties are that it
doesnot absorb moisture but oil
which makes it best fabric to make
it water, soil, stain and fire resist-
ant. It is also preshrunk during the
process which leads to no defor-
mation or stretch after use. It is
easily dye able and does not color
fast easily.
Polyester is very useful in many
industries, including textile and
technical textiles. It is used in
clothing, home textiles, industry
driven fabrics, insulations and
many more fields. It is also anti-
allergenic which makes it suitable
to be used in bed covers, cloth-
ing and medical dresses. Polyes-
ter covers half of the textile and
fashion industry due to its various
properties.
Reference
https://www.encyclopedia.com/
sports-and-everyday-life/fashion-
and-clothing/textiles-and-weaving/
polyester#:~:text=Polyester%20
i s % 2 0 a % 2 0 s y n t h e t i c % 2 0
fiber,structure%20repeats%20
throughout%20its%20length.
• www.fashionvaluechain.com
• fashionvaluechain@gmail.com

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
8 C O V E R S T O R Y
PET a necessary evil
Akshat Tamboli
How often do we see PET
around us? If you observe we are
surrounded with PET and its vari-
ants. From apparels to heavy in-
dustrial textiles, PET has become
one of the most important fiber
to humans. This is because of its
amazing properties. It is strong,
stable, and durable, If we compare
it with natural fibers, it is cheaper
with such features.
PETisresistanttowaterandchem-
icals hence, filter fabric companies
use it intensively. PET is easy to
care and is wrinkle resistant, un-
like cotton and linen. PET can also
provide warmth like wool and
cloth like cotton. We can manufac-
ture PET as per our need. The abil-
ity to change its cross-section and
structure make it very useful for
the aesthetic properties of fabric.
All fashion oriented industries are
dependent on PET and its blends
for the shine. PET is cost-effective
which makes it affordable to the
majority. PET has its applications
in industrial and biomedical fields
because of its high performance.
Exponential growth in the produc-
tion of PET has been observed
from 1953 to 2019. Around 66 mil-
lion tons of synthetic fibers were
produced of which, 51.2% is PET.
The global demand for polyester
fibres is dominated over other fib-
ers. Even cotton is way behind in
the second spot. Currently, Asia
is the largest consuming region
globally, where the fast-growing
textile Industries (weaving, gar-
ment manufacturing, dyeing and
finishing) have been consuming
increasing amounts of polyester fi-
bres. The worldwide marketplace
of polyester staple fibre as an im-
portant candidate of the group of
man-made fibres seems to have
taken command of the textiles in-
dustry lately. It is expected to ex-
pand at a healthy pace, in the next
few years. It is estimated that the
global polyester staple fibre mar-
ket, which was valued around US$
23,400 million in 2015 is expected
to reach US$ 42,400 million by
2024. In terms of volume, the mar-
ket for polyester staple fibre is ex-
pected to increase at a CAGR of 4.0
per cent over the same period.
But are we not ignoring some-
thing? Are we not forgetting that
PET is not biodegradable?
Yes! Defiantly PET is one the most
recyclable polymer and many
companies are running cam-
paigns and even launch products
like Shoes, carpets, rugs and etc.
to mitigate the environmental
effects. Is it helping? Not much!
Because polyester is hard to get
from blends and segregation is
even tougher, Even if we do start
collecting and recycling polyes-
ter, the PET degrades a little more
during each loop. It cannot be re-
cycled forever.
Recent research estimates that
globally, 176,500 metric tons of
synthetic microfibers chiefly poly-
ester and nylon are released into
the environment every year. Mi-
crofiber pollution is predominant-
ly linked to wastewater of clothing
which releases the most microfib-
ers, while being machine-washed,
and many of those fibers elude fil-
tration in treatment centers, ulti-
mately ending up in water bodies.
Microfibers are a disturbingly
abundant foreign substance in the
Earth’s ecosystem – they make up
90% of the micro plastic pollution
in the Oceans and other major wa-
ter bodies, and are easily ingested
by the tiny fish and plankton that
support the entire marine ecosys-
tem.
Today, textile industry is second
most polluted industry after pe-
troleum. With every wash and
every disposal of PET products we
are indirectly contributing to pol-
lution. One study from 2017 even
found that 83% of global tap water
samples contained microfibers.
So, is the solution is to stop buying
PET and other synthetic clothing?
We do not have unlimited resourc-
es to produce natural fibers. We do
not have enough land and water.
Natural fibers like wool and cotton
require chemicals and much water
and energy to be processed. Pro-
duction of 1 kg finished cotton fab-
ric consumes around 20,000 liters.
Buying lot of new environmentally
friendly gear is still less sustain-
able than sticking with what we
already have. In the same sense,
boycotting polyester is good, but
let us not forget the problem of
microfibers is amplified by the
amount of clothing we are produc-
ing and buying on a macro level.
Population by humans is growing
and we have to fulfill everyone’s
requirement because clothing is a
basic need.
Conclusion
Polyester is better than natural
fibres in some ways, and worse
in others. It has a lower negative
impact, when it comes to water
pollution. It has a higher negative
impact when it comes to global
Manager
Trident group

9
C O V E R S T O R Y
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
warming, but not by much. And
for global warming specifically,
it looks better than almost every
other natural fabric, including
hemp, linen, wool and silk. When
it comes specifically to fossil fuel
use, polyester is worse than al-
most every natural fabric.
Yes, polyester is not great. It is
made from fossil fuels. It does not
biodegrade, and it is uncomfort-
able. But sometimes, it is the best
choice for a high-quality or perfor-
mance garment.
We can say PET is necessary but it
is not sustainable in long run we
have to devote ourselves more on
its replacements and try to inno-
vate and invent the new methods
to recycle and reuse the PET.
References
1. https://www.theguardian.com/
commentisfree/2020/oct/23/your-
polyester-sweater-is-destroying-
the-environment-heres-why
2. https://www.online-sciences.
com/industries/the-importance-
and-uses-of-polyesters/
3. https://www.thehou-
s e o f p i l l ow s .e u / p o l ye ste r-
s h o u l d n t- b e - i n - y o u r- b e d -
blog/#:~:text=Polyester%20is%20
dangerous%20for%20the%20
environmenttext=And%20it%20
can%20take%20up,of%20polluta-
nts%20in%20the%20air.
4. https://ecocult.com/exactly-
polyester-bad-environment/ V.B.
Gupta and V.K. Khottari
5. https://ecocult.com/tips-syn-
thetic-plastic-free-wardrobe-nat-
ural-fibers/
6. https://www.eurekalert.
org/pub_releases/2020-09/p-
scf090920.php
7. https://www.thehou-
s e o f p i l l ow s .e u / p o l ye ste r-
s h o u l d n t- b e - i n - y o u r- b e d -
blog/#:~:text=Polyester%20is%20
dangerous%20for%20the%20
environmenttext=And%20it%20
can%20take%20up,of%20polluta-
nts%20in%20the%20air.
8. https://www.intelligentliving.
co/microfibers-what-you-can-do/
N E W S
Apparel Makers Demand A Fresh Stimulus
Package For The Upcoming Eid Festivals.
To help continue their business,
the country’s apparel manufac-
turers demanded a fresh stimulus
package for the upcoming Eid fes-
tivals on Tuesday.
They also sought 14 to 15 years’
time duration for payment of
installments of their long-term
loans.
The apparel makers placed these
demands in a special meeting, or-
ganised by the Bangladesh Knit-
wear Manufacturers and Exporters
Association (BKMEA) in the city.
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, law-
maker as well as former president
of the Federation of Bangladesh
Chambers of Commerce and In-
dustries (FBCCI) and the Bangla-
desh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association (BGMEA),
was present in the programme as
the chief guest.
A K M Salim Osman, president
of the BKMEA, presided over the
meeting, where Mohammad Ali
Khokon, president of the Bang-
ladesh Textile Mills Association
(BTMA), and S M Mannan Kochi,
vice president of the BGMEA, were
also present, among others.
The business leaders said their
products remained stockpiled, as
the buyers cannot import goods
duly for the last few months due
to the coronavirus pandemic.
Besides, yarn prices and shipment
charges have increased signifi-
cantly nowadays, they added.
In this situation, they sought the
fresh stimulus package as well as
policy support from the govern-
ment.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
Application of Polyester in Technical
Textile Sector: An Overview
SAYANK NANDI
Department of Textile Technology, Government College of
Engineering and Textile Technology, Serampore
Introduction
The mid-20th and early 21st cen-
tury has witnessed a surge of syn-
thetic fibres in the textile industry.
As per a study the synthetic mar-
ket is expected to increase at 5.3%
CAGR from 2017 to 2025 [1]. Lion’s
share of the synthetic market is
dominated by Polyester. Demand
for cheap, affordable and fash-
ionable clothes with fast chang-
ing fashion has contributed to the
growth of this fibre. From sustain-
ability point of view the fibre is not
very sustainable, it consumes 125
MJ of energy per kg, also emitting
27.2 kg of CO2 per kg for produc-
tion[2,3];hencerecyclablepolyes-
ter is currently preferred. In spite
of several sustainability concerns,
the characteristics and features of
this crude oil based fibre, makes
it an important fibre for technical
sector besides clothing sector.
Applications in Technical Sector
Polyester is among the very few fi-
bres that has applications in all 12
classes of technical textiles. The
different applications of polyester
in the technical textile sector are
mentioned.
Agrotech
In agrotextiles, polyester is among
the most used synthetic fibre after
polypropylene and polyamides. It
is used as sunscreen, greenhous-
es, insect meshes, mulch mats,
and fruit covers [4]. Its superior
UV resistance, physical charac-
teristics than polypropylene [5];
better weather resistance, lighter
weight, UV resistance compared
to polyamides, makes it a very
useful fibre in agrotextile.
Meditech
Properties like high modulus,
good creep, fair resistance to ac-
ids and alkali, good chemical re-
sistance, hydrophobicity and bio-
compatibility to a certain extent
makes it a fibre to be used in the
medical field. It can be used both
as an implantable, as well as non-
implantable material.
As implantable material, differ-
ent polyester structures can be
used as artificial tendon, artificial
ligaments, even as extracorporeal
devices like artificial kidney, etc.
However for such applications
protein fibres are more preferred;
since it is more biocompatible
and the property of polyester de-
grades with time. Hence it is not
good for long time implantable
application [6].
As non-implantable material, it
can be used as bandages, since
it has good resistance to micro-
organisms. It is also used for pro-
duction of baby and adult diapers.
Due to its hydrophobic nature
nonwoven made from polyes-
ter can hold liquid also its good
dimensional stability contribut-
ing in maintaining its shape, and
good wicking property it can eas-
ily transfer liquid evenly [7].
Mobitech
Polyester is one of the predomi-
nant fibres used for the Mobitech
applications. Properties like UV
resistance, good strength proper-
ties, good compression recovery,
good heat resistance and low in-
flammabilitymakesitaveryuseful
fibre for Mobitech applications. It
can be used in seat covers, carpets
and seat belts [8] even its compos-
ites and its nonwovens are used
for mobitech applications [9].
Packtech
Packaging is one of the most im-
portant applications of techni-
cal textile. Characteristics like
excellent dimensional stability,
UV resistance, good chemical re-
sistance, weather resistance, hy-
drophobicity, proper tensile and
initial modulus, can be used to
manufacture non wovens, makes
polyester a commonly used fibre
for this application. It can be used
for any kind of packing applica-
tions, PET water bottles are still
used, and Tea bags are commonly
made from non-woven polyes-
ters (Polypropylene is preferred
for this application since it is inert
in room temperature), even vari-
ous companies uses Polyester for

11
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
packaging materials for shipping.
Sporttech
Polyester is one of the preferred
fibres for sporttech applications.
Polyester has excellent dimen-
sional stability, good wicking ef-
fect, good soil release property,
excellent heat and thermal stabil-
ity, UV resistance, light weight hy-
drophobicity. Polyester is mostly
used for high sport applications,
where a lot of sweat is generated;
the sweat is transferred through
the capillaries by wicking effect
and due to hydrophobicity it dries
up quickly. Hence it can be used
in different wearables for athletes
[10].
Buildtech
Polyester in Buildtech applica-
tions are generally used as com-
posites to support the construc-
tion. Due to its Hydrophobicity, UV
resistance, sound insulation prop-
erties it can be used along with the
building applications [11].
Clothtech
The application of Polyester in the
clothing industry is well known,
it is used for different suiting and
shirting applications. Polyester is
very compatible with different fi-
bres for forming blends, Poly-cot-
ton, Poly-wool, Poly-viscose and
many other blends are very much
used in the industry. Core sheath,
ply structure is used for different
applications like sewing threads,
shoe laces.
Hometech
Polyester is also a preferred mate-
rial for many Hometexile applica-
tions. Soil release, good resistance
to micro-organisms, fairly resist-
ance to acids and alkalis, good
drapability characteristics makes
it ideal for bed sheets, pillow cov-
ers and similar applications. Good
UV resistance, sound absorption
characterscanbeusedforproduc-
ing curtains (Hollow polyesters
however produce better sound
insulation [12]. It is also used as a
filtration material in air ducts.
Water proof polyester is used for
Outdoor Porch Curtains, Tents,
Tarpaulins, etc. UV resistance,
good dimensional stability, good
busting strength properties also
contribute for these applications
Protech
In 2020, mask has been one of the
most used words. Nonwoven fil-
ters of masks are produced from
Polyester and Polypropylene. SMS
and SMMS fabrics are generally
used for this application, even the
fact polyester has negative tribo-
electric charges contributes to the
filtration process [13].
Due to fair chemical resistance,
UV resistance polyester can be
used for various protective appli-
cations. During the pandemic sev-
eral PPEs were made of polyester
and polyester blends, however for
such application polypropylene
should be preferred due to its in-
ert nature in room temperature.
Geotech
Good tensile and busting strength,
chemical resistance, UV resist-
ance, creep properties makes it
a very useful geotextile fibre. It is
used for reinforcement applica-
tions like soil reinforcements, em-
bankments [14], tidal barrages,
prevention of soil erosion, etc.
Geo grid structures, non-woven
structures can be used for separa-
tion, filtration and drainage appli-
cations of geotextile like separa-
tion of two soil layers, draining of
water using wicking [15].
Oekotech
Non-woven Polyester structures
can be used for filtration of dusts,
air filtration, etc. Different polyes-
ter structures can also be used for
prevention of soil erosion.
Indutech
Polyester is used for different in-
dustrial textile application for in-
stance Bolting cloth, a mesh fabric
primarily used for screen printing;
Coated abrasive clothing, Decatis-
ing cloth are some of its other ap-
plications [16]. In certain cases it
is also used in conveyor belts due
to its high strength, creep prop-
erties, but Nylon is preferred for
such applications.
Summary of different characteris-
tics of polyester for application in
particular technical textile field
Characteristics of Polyester
Agrotech UV Protection, Chemi-
cally unreactive, light weight,
protection from insects, busting
strength, dimensional stability
(for greenhouse structures).
Meditech High modulus, good
creep, fair resistance to acids and
alkali, good chemical resistance,
hydrophobicity, dimensional sta-
bility.
Mobitech UV resistance, good
strength properties, good com-
pression recovery, good heat
resistance and low inflammabil-
ity, sound insulation, nonwovens
used for air filters.
Packtech Excellent dimensional
stability, good strength proper-
ties, UV resistance, good chemi-
cal resistance, weather resistance,
hydrophobicity, water repellent
is necessary for several products,
Non-wovens used for tea bags.
Sporttech Excellent dimensional
stability, good wicking effect,
good soil release property, excel-
lent heat and thermal stability, UV
resistance, light weight, hydro-
phobicity.
Buildtech Hydrophobicity, UV re-
sistance, sound insulation, good
strength, low cost.
Clothtech Lower cost , UV protec-
tion, wicking property.
Hometech Soil release, good re-
sistance to micro-organisms, fair-
ly resistance to acids and alkalis,
good UV resistance, sound ab-
sorption, good drapability, water
proof polyester is also used
Protech Resistance from nuclear
radiation, good chemical resist-
ance, UV resistance polyester,
good filtration as SMS, SMMS fab-
rics.
Geotech Good tensile and busting
strength, chemical resistance, UV
resistance, creep properties, good

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
filtration and drainage by differ-
ent structures.
Oekotech Good air, dust filtration.
Can prevent soil erosion.
Indutech High strength, creep
properties, good filtration proper-
ties, sun screen protection, screen
of screen printing also made from
polyester.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere
gratitude to Dr. Mallika Datta for
in this article. The various con-
cepts used in this article were pro-
vided by her during the classes of
TT704A.
References
1. Grand View Research. 2017.
Synthetic Fibre Market Size, Share
and Trends Analysis Report by
Type (Acrylics, Polyester, Nylon,
Polyolefin), by application (Cloth-
ing, Home Furnishing, Automo-
tive, Filtration), By Region and
Segment Forecasts, 2018-2025.
https://www.grandviewresearch.
com/industry-analysis/synthetic-
fibres-market
2. Nandi, S. (OCS Team). 2020. Im-
portance of Traceability in Textile
Supply Chain. https://www.on-
lineclothingstudy.com/2020/10/
what-is-traceability-importance-
of.html?m=1
3. Mateo, C.P., Meer, Y. Seide,
G. 2021. Analysis of the polyester
clothing value chain to identify
key intervention points for sus-
tainability. Environmental Sci-
ences Europe, 33:2. https://doi.
org/10.1186/s12302-020-00447-x
4. Chowdhury, J., Nasrin, S.
Faruque, A. 2017. Significance of
Agro-Textile and Future Prospects
in Bangladesh. European Scien-
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dx.doi.org/10.19044/esi.2017.
v13n21p139
5. Marasovic, P. Kopitar, D.
2019. Overview and perspective
of nonwoven agrotextile. Textile
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TLR.2019.23
6. Rahman, M. 2012. Degradation
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tions (Chapter). https://dx.doi.
org/10.5772/47765
7. Ajmeri, J.R. Ajmeri, C.J. 2016.
Developments in the use of non-
wovens for disposable hygiene
products. Advances in Technical
Nonwovens. From:Engineering
Textiles (Second Edition) 2020
8. Saricam, C. Okur, N. 2018. Pol-
yester Usage for Automotive Ap-
plications. DOI: 10.5772/intecho-
pen.74206
9. Landage, S.M. Tharewal, P.
2013. Application of textile in au-
tomotive air filters. Textile Trends.
56. 29-38
10. Tarafder, N. 2019. Textile in
Sportswear, Sports Goods and
Sports Equipment-A Discussion.
Journal of Mechanical Robot-
ics, 4(3), PP-1-10; https://doi.
org/10.5281/zenodo.3524756
11. Farrukh, A. H. 2015. Textile
in House Building Civil Ap-
plications. Researchgate. DOI:
10.13140/RG.2.1.1212.3927
12. Mahmoud, A., Shenawy, G.
Ramadan, E. 2012. Using Non-
woven Hollow Fibres to Improve
Cars Interior Acoustic Properties.
Research Journal of Textile and
Apparel, Vol. 16 Issue 3, pp. 49-56.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/RJTA-
16-03-2012-B005
13. Nandi, S. (OCS Team). 2020.
Cloth Masks- What are the Pros
and Cons.
14. Vashi, J., Desai, A.K. Solanki,
C.H. 2013. Evaluation of PET and
PP Geotextile Reinforced Embank-
ment on Soft Soil. Procedia Engi-
neering, 51: 19-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.
proeng.2013.01.006
15. Wu, H. et. al. 2020. Review of
Application and Innovation of
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dia.org/?q=industrial-textiles-
• www.innovativedesigns.in • innovative.designs.prints@gmail.com

13
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
POLYESTER RECYCLING STRATEGIES
SWARANJALI SUHAS JOSHI
M.Tech student Guide
Fibres and Processing Technology Department, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
DR. RAVINDRA KALE
Introduction
Polymeric materials can be clas-
sified as thermosets and ther-
moplastics. Thermoset polymers
refer to the irreversible polymeri-
zation and this type of polymer is
cured by chemical reaction or
heat and becomes infusible and
insoluble material. Thermoplas-
tics are made up of linear molecu-
lar chains and this polymer sof-
tens on heating and hardens when
cooled [1–6].
Thermoplastic polymers are rep-
resented by a large range of plastic
materials. There are three types of
thermoplastic polymers. The crys-
talline thermoplastics, usually
translucent with molecular chains
which present a regular arrange-
ment. Compared to other types,
these polymers have more me-
chanical impact resistance. These
polymers present unique proper-
ties (physical, thermal and elec-
trical) that make them suitable
for many applications. The injec-
tion moulding process is the main
technique of polymer processing
which allows the fabrication of dif-
ferent kinds of parts, such as the
computer mouse [11–15]. These
plastic materials can be modelled
into a variety of products for a
wide range of applications due to
the fact that thermoplastic poly-
mers are inexpensive, lightweight
and durable. In the last decades,
the production of plastics has in-
creased significantly causing a big
problem in the whole world re-
garding the discarded end-of-life
plastics which are accumulated
as debris in landfills and in natu-
ral habitats worldwide and by the
management methods related
to constantly growing resources
of plastics. In the last years, the
problem of recycled plastics was
attempted to be solved by sev-
eral methods (such as mechanical
recycling or chemical recycling)
leading to products ready to be
used in determined conditions,
in the most economic, ecological
and rational way [16–23]. The pur-
pose of this review is to present
the advantages and disadvan-
tages of thermoplastic polymers
used in industrial applications, the
processes used in the recycling
and perspectives for a green bio-
industry.
Thermoplastic Polymers
Due to the ideal properties of the
thermoplastic polymers such as
corrosion resistance, low density,
The different types of polymers utilized as plastic based packaging materials

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
high strength, and user-friendly
design, plastic usage has become
much higher than the usage of
aluminium or other metals. For
example, density is a very impor-
tant parameter because it reveals
information about the intrinsic
strength of the construction that is
supposed to be created, as in the
case of flax reinforcement when
PP and LDPE are the best choices
(because of their low density),
since its purpose is to produce a
composite that is as light as possi-
ble. The glass transition tempera-
ture (Tg) is another characteristic
that is very important when study-
ing polymer mechanical prop-
erties, because the flexibility of
amorphous polymers is reduced
drastically when they are cooled
below Tg. At these temperatures,
there are no dimensional changes
or segmental motion in the poly-
mer. Also, the mechanical proper-
ties are very important in the case
of thermoplastic polymers, mostly
the tensile strength (important for
their performance under stress)
and tensile modulus (the resist-
ance of polymers to elastic defor-
mation) [12, 24,31].
The main reasons which make the
thermoplastic polymers used in
various applications are:
- The thermoplastic polymers can
be processed by several methods
leading to various kinds of plastic
products;
- They are used for a specific ap-
plication several compounding,
operating condition, additives, fill-
ers, and reinforcements;
- Several manufacturing systems
are used at this moment to pro-
duce plastic items with the lowest
cost range [33–35].
The recycling and incineration
are the usual aspects of recovery
methods in the case of thermo-
plastic polymers. The incineration
presents some problems like the
production of toxic gases and the
residue ash which contains lead
and cadmium. The recycling pre-
sents advantages such as reduc-
tion of environmental problems
and saving both material and en-
ergy [33, 35, and 36].
Advantages and Key Properties of
PET Resin
• It is very strong and lightweight
and hence easy and efficient to
transport
• It is known for its good gas (oxy-
gen, carbon dioxide) and moisture
barrier properties
• It exhibits excellent electrical in-
sulating properties
• PET has broad range of use tem-
perature, from -60 to 130°C
• It has higher strength and stiff-
ness than PBT (Polybutylene Tere-
phthalate)
• As compared to PBT, it also has
higher heat distortion tempera-
ture (HDT)
• It has low gas permeability, in
particularly with carbon dioxide
• PET is suitable for transparent
applications, when quenching
during processing
• PET does not break or fracture. It
is practically shatter-resistant and
hence, a suitable glass-replace-
ment in some applications
• It is recyclable and transparent to
microwave radiation
• PET is approved as safe for con-
tact with foods and beverages by
the FDA, Health Canada, EFSA
other health agencies [38].
• Excellent resistance to alco-
hols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils,
greases and diluted acids Moder-
ate resistance to diluted alkalis,
aromatic and halogenated hydro-
carbons [40].
Disadvantages of PET
• Flammable– This is definitely
an advantage in that they can be
melted down, however smoul-
dering plastics can release toxic
fumes into the environment.
• Cost of Recycling – While recy-
cling is a plus, recycling is a very
costly endeavour.
• Volume – In the United States
20% of our landfill is made up of
plastics. As more products are be-
ing made of plastics, where will
this lead us in the future
• Durability – This is an advantage
as well as a disadvantage. Plas-
tics are extremely durable, which
means that they last a long time.
Those plastics in the landfill will
be there for years.
Plastics make our lives easier,
however is their cost on the en-
vironment worth it? We can only
hope that soon someone will in-
vent a way to safely and cheaply
melt and reuse plastics [39].
Recycling of PET
ThehugeamountsofPETproducts
bottles, spinning, and packaging
films cause serious environmental
pollution. Commonly, PET content
reaches about 12 % in municipal
plastic waste. In fact, the separa-
tion of PET bottles from municipal
waste represents one of the most
successful examples of polymer
recycling. Numerous ways of recy-
cling disposable beverage bottles
are available, including methods
of chemical recycling, such as hy-
drolysis, amylolysis, glycolysis,
etc., or physical recycling by re-
melting. The plastic can be de-
graded in the environment by four
mechanisms: photo-degradation,
thermo-oxidative degradation, hy-
drolytic degradation, and biodeg-
radation by microorganisms. The
natural degradation of plastic be-
gins with photo-degradation due
to the UV light from the sun which
provides the activation energy
required to initiate the incorpora-
tion of oxygen atoms into the pol-
ymer, leading to thermo-oxidative
degradation. In this step, the plas-
tic becomes brittle and it’s fractur-
ing into smaller pieces until the
polymer chains reach sufficiently
low molecular weight to be me-
tabolized by microorganisms. The
microorganisms convert the car-
bon of the polymer chains to car-
bon dioxide or incorporate it into
biomolecules, but this process
will take at least 50 years [36]. So,
a solution to these problems will
be the recycling, because most

15
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
commodity plastics are relatively
stable, making monomer recovery
poor.
A driving force for PET recycling
is that PET products have a slow
rate of natural decomposition
[12]. PET is a non-degradable plas-
tic in normal conditions as there
is no known organism that can
consume its relatively large mole-
cules. Complicated and expensive
procedures need to be operated
in order for PET to degrade bio-
logically [13]. Many researchers
reported that in order to achieve
successful PET recycling, PET
flakes should meet certain mini-
mum requirements [13 – 16].
Description of recycling process
Primary recycling (pre-consum-
er industrial scrap)
• It is the oldest way of recycling
PET and is also known as re-extru-
sion
• Low cost, requites uncontami-
nated scraps and deals with only
single type waste
• The recycled scrap or waste is
mixed with virgin material.
Second grade material (Mechan-
ical recycling)
• Secondary recycling includes
sorting arid separation of waste,
removal of contaminates and is
also known as mechanical recy-
cling steps
• Reduction of size by crushing and
grinding, extrusion by heat and re-
forming
Tertiary recycling (Chemical re-
cycling)
• Chemical recycling is done usu-
ally by means of solvolytic chain
cleavage
• Tins process can either be a to-
tal de-polymerization back to its
monomers or a partial
De-polymerization on to its oli-
gomers.
Quaternary Recycling (Energy
Recovery)
• Energy recovery is defined as the
process how companies convert
post-use, non-recyclable plastics
into a range of useful products
such as fuels and electricity and
energy recovery is turning land-
fill-bound plastics and waste into
a reliable and renewable energy
source.
In-plant recycling
In-plantrecycling,otherwiseknown
as re-expulsion, is the most estab-
lished method for reusing polyes-
ter family. It alludes to the in-lodge
reusing of the scrap materials that
have comparative highlights to
the first items. The recycled scrap
or waste is either mixed with virgin
material to assure product quality,
or used as a second grade mate-
rial. This methodology guarantees
effortlessness and ease, yet oblig-
es uncontaminated scrap, and just
manages single-sort wastes. It is
the recycling of perfect, uncon-
taminated Industrial discard ma-
terials [41].
Mechanical recycling
In this approach, the polymer is
separated from its associated con-
taminants and it can be readily
reprocessed into granules by con-
ventional melt extrusion. Mechan-
ical recycling includes the sorting
and separation of the wastes, size
reduction; melt filtration and re-
forming of the plastic material.
The basic polymer is not altered
during the process. The main dis-
advantage of this type of recycling
is the deterioration of product
properties in every cycle. This oc-
curs since the molecular weight of
the recycled resin is reduced due
to chain-scission reactions caused
by the presence of water and trace
acidic impurities. A secondary re-
cycling process presents some
unique problems that may cause
it to be inappropriate for the pro-
duction of food-contact articles,
particularly if the recycler had lit-
tle or no control over the waste
stream entering the recycling fa-
cility [41].
A secondary recycling methodolo-
gy introduces some special issues
that might make it to be designed
for the generation of nourishment,
especially if recycler had diminu-
tive or no power under the waste
stream toward the inside reusing
competence. The more unpredict-
able and sullied the waste is, the
more troublesome it is to reuse
it mechanically. Among the pri-
mary issues of optional reusing
is the heterogeneity of the strong
waste, and the debasement of
the item properties, every time it
is reused. The same predicament
is the misuse of items made of
the same pitch yet with different
colour which usually impart un-
desirable grey colour. It is the re-
cycling of clean, uncontaminated
single-type waste which remains
the most popular, as it ensures
simplicity and low cost, especially
when done ‘‘in-plant’’ and feeding
with scrap of controlled history.
The recycled scrap or waste is ei-
ther mixed with virgin material to
assure product quality or used as
a second-grade material. Primary
recycling of industrial scrap pro-
duced during the manufacture
of food-contact articles is not ex-
pected to pose a hazard to the
consumer [44].
Chemical recycling
Unlike physical recycling, chemi-
cal recycling involves transforma-
tion of polymer chain. The poly-
mer backbone under the recycling
process is degraded into mono-
mer units (i.e. depolymerisation)
or randomly ruptured into larger
chainfragments(i.e.randomchain
scission) with associated forma-
tion of gaseous products. The
chemical recycling is carried out
either by solvolysis or by pyrolysis;
the former through degradation
by solvents including water, and
the latter through degradation by
heat in absence of oxygen or air, or
vacuum. Chemical recycling yields
monomers, petroleum liquids and
gases. Monomers are purified by
distillation and drying, and used
for manufacture of polymers.
Chemical recycling, generally rec-
ognized as compound reusing,
includes change of the PET poly-
ester linear chains. Normally via

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
method for solvolytic chain cleav-
age, this methodology is able to
reverse the depolymerisation in
the direction of its monomers, or
a fractional de-polymerization in
the direction of its oligomers and
other chemicals.
Distinctive solvolysis systems in-
cluded in PET depolymerisation
is depicted in. Since PET is a poly-
ester containing ester bunches,
it can be effectively severed by
a few reagents, for example like
amine groups, acid, alcohols, wa-
ter, and glycols. Additionally, PET
can be shaped through a revers-
ible poly-condensation response;
subsequently, it can be changed
back to its monomer or oligomer
units by switching the response to
the other way through the expan-
sion of a build-up item. These low
sub-atomic weight items can then
be cleansed and reused as crude
materials to create top notch com-
pound items [41][43].
Among the reusing techniques,
substance reusing is the most set-
tled and the stand out as per the
standards of ‘economic advance-
ment’ which is characterized as
the improvement that addresses
the issues of present era without
trading off the capacity of future
eras to address their issues; World
Commission on Environment and
Improvement 1987) . This is on
the grounds that concoction re-
using prompts arrangement of
the crude materials (monomers)
from which the polymer was ini-
tially integrated. The environment
is not surcharged, and there is no
requirement for additional assets
for the proliferation of PET.
The response component for PET
de-polymerization comprises of
three reversible responses: (a) the
carbonyl carbon in the polymer
chain experiences quick protona-
tion, whereby the carbonyl oxygen
gets changed over to a second hy-
droxyl bunch;
(b) the hydroxyl oxygen of the in-
cluded hydroxyl-bearing atom
gradually assaults the prorogued
carboxyl carbon atom; and
(c)thecarbonyloxygen(whichwas
changed over to hydroxyl amass in
the first step) and a proton.
There are three primary tech-
niques in PET synthetic reusing
relying upon the included hy-
droxyl bearing particle: (1) glycol
for Glycolysis, (2) methanol for
Methanolysis, and (3) water for
hydrolysis. Other strategies may
incorporate amylolysis. From the
point forward, various examina-
tion works have been done with
a specific end goal to completely
comprehend the synthetic path-
ways included in the depolymeri-
sation routines, and along these
lines, progress the yield of the de-
sired products obtained by these
methods. This process can be
used with mechanical recycling
as a complementation. Chemical
recycling is defined as the process
in which polymers are chemically
converted to monomers or par-
tially depolymerized to oligom-
ers through a chemical reaction
(a change occurs to the chemical
structure of the polymer). The re-
sulted monomers can be used for
new polymerizations to reproduce
the original or a related polymeric
product. This method is able to
transform the plastic material into
smaller molecules, suitable for
use as feedstock material start-
ing with monomers, oligomers,
or mixtures of other hydrocarbon
compounds [41].
The chemical reactions used for
decomposition of polymers into
monomers are:
• Hydrogenation
• Glycolysis
• Gasification
• Hydrolysis
• Pyrolysis
• Methanolysis
• Chemical depolymerization
• Thermal cracking
• Catalytic cracking and reforming
• Photo-degradation
• Ultrasound degradation
• Degradation in microwave reac-
tor
According to the reagent used, dif-
ferent products are obtained. The
main depolymerisation processes
that have reached commercial
maturity up to now are Glycoly-
sis and Methanolysis. Nowadays
there is growing interest in hy-
drolysis for the chemical recycling
of PET, since it is the only method
with the reaction products tere-
phthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene
glycol (EG), i.e. the monomer from
which PET is produced. This is as-
sociated with the trend in the new
factories for PET synthesis to pro-
duce it directly from TPA and EG,
thus replacing dimethyl tereph-
thalate (the traditional monomer)
from the technological process
[50].
Disadvantage of this method is the
use of high temperature (200–250
⁰C) and pressure (1.4–2 MPa) as
well as long time needed for com-
plete depolymerisation. Com-
mercially, hydrolysis is not widely
used to produce food-grade recy-
cled PET, because of the cost as-
sociated with purification of the
recycled TPA. Hydrolysis of PET
can be carried out as (a) alkaline
hydrolysis, (b) acid hydrolysis and
(c) neutral hydrolysis [41].
Alkaline Hydrolysis
Alkaline hydrolysis of PET is usu-
ally carried out with the use of an
aqueous alkaline solutionof NaOH
or KOH, of a concentration of 4–20
wt. %. The reaction products are EG
and the disodium or di- potassium
terephthalate salt, according to the
chemical reaction shown below

17
C O V E R S T O R Y
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
PET flakes were hydrolysed to
sodium terephthalate and ethyl-
ene glycol (EG) in NaOH solutions
before oxygen introduction. Be-
cause sparingly soluble sodium
terephthalate in concentrated
NaOH solutions was stable to the
oxidation, the TPA yield was ap-
proximately 100 mol% under all
conditions. In contrast, EG was
oxidized to oxalate and CO2, and
the maximum oxalic acid yields
Thus, apart from the monomer
(TPA) a valuable by product (oxalic
acid) was obtained. Factors such
as temperature, time and alkali
concentration influencing the ki-
netics of the alkaline de-polymer-
ization of PET in NaOH solution.
Also the choice of solvent plays an
important role in the alkaline de-
polymerisation of PET. The main
advantage of alkaline hydrolysis is
that it can tolerate highly contami-
nated, post-consumer PET such as
magnetic recording tape, metal-
lized PET film, or photographic
film (X-ray film) [14]. The process
is relatively simple and less costly
than Methanolysis. PET hydrolysis
in aqueous alkaline solute ion was
investigated by Karayiannis. PET
decomposition was conducted
in a 2 L stainless-steel autoclave
reactor equipped with a digital
temperature-control system, an
agitator, and a manometer as a
pressure indicator. The reaction
took place with a constant NaOH
concentration and different reac-
tion-time intervals and tempera-
tures. At the appropriate time the
reactor was cooled and the reac-
tion mixture was neutralized to
pH 6.5 with H2SO4 and filtered to
remove unreacted PET solids. The
TPA in the mixture was precipi-
tated by acidification with H2SO4
to pH 2.5 and the mixture was fil-
tered and washed with methanol.
The solid TPA produced was dried
in an oven at 80 ⁰C and weighed. A
great increase in the TPA yield on
increasing the reaction tempera-
ture was observed. This is expect-
ed if the chemical reaction is the
rate-determining step. At the high-
est-studied temperature of 200⁰C
a TPA yield of 98% was obtained in
only 1 h [41].
PET Hydrolysis in a Non-Aqueous
Alkaline Solution: It has been ob-
served that addition of an ether
(such as dioxin or THF) in non-
aqueous alkali solutions acceler-
ates the rate of chemical degra-
dation of PET [21]. One possible
explanation is that ethers accel-
erate the percolation of hydrox-
ide ions and increase the ionic
strength of the hydroxide ion and,
therefore, the decomposition of
PET is increased. Methyl Cellulose
is a chemical compound combin-
ing the properties of ether togeth-
er with those of an alcohol. It is
for this reason that this substance
was selected for this study. The
ether part will lead to swelling of
the PET solid and the alcoholic
part will support the action of KOH
in destroying the chemical struc-
ture of PET during depolymeriza-
tion (PET surface is easily attacked
by alcohols). The addition of an
ether (such as dioxane, or tetrahy-
drofuran (THF)) as a mixed sol-
vent with an alcohol (methanol, or
ethanol) accelerated the chemical
degradation of PET. It is for this
reason that the alkaline hydrolysis
of PET at 110–120 ⁰C with a non-
aqueoussolutionofKOHinmethyl
cellulose was selected to be stud-
ied by Karayannidis. Pellets of po-
tassium hydroxide were dissolved
in methyl cellulose and the alkali
hydroxide solution was added to
a glass reaction vessel equipped
with a reflux condenser, an inert-
gas flow, a stirrer and a heating de-
vice. The reactor was immersed in
a silicon-oil bath in order to obtain
high enough temperatures. PET
flakes were added intothe reactor
and the inert-gas flow was started,
together with the agitation. After
a certain period the inertgas flow
stopped and the temperature
was set to the desired point. After
reaching the desired temperature,
the reaction time started and the
PET decomposition was followed
for a specified time period. After
that time, the reaction mixture
was cooled rapidly by immersing
the flask in cold water. The mix-
ture was then filtered to remove
the un-decomposed PET solids
and dried in an oven at 110 ⁰C. In
the final product, 500 mL of dis-
tilled water were added, in order
to dissolve all of the potassium
terephthalate. The solution was
filtered again and the procedure
described previously for the isola-
tion of TPA was followed [43].
Treatment processes based on
partial PET alkaline hydrolysis
are widely used in the polyester
fiber industry. The effect of
such processes on the mechanical
properties of fibers, oligomer con-
tent and change of the molecular
weight distribution, or loss of fiber
mass has been investigated. From
the point of view of research on
PET chemical recycling, an inter-
esting relationship between PET
mass loss, reaction time, and the
concentration of the NaOH aque-
ous solution used, as well as be-
tween oligomer contents and the
molecular weight distribution of
degraded PET has been observed.
NaOH solutions in methanol react
with PET significantly faster than
analogous aqueous solutions.
Namboori and Haith have com-
pared the reactivity of NaOH aque-
ous solutions, as well as solutions
of sodium tert-butoxide in tert-
butanol, sodium isopropoxide in

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
isopropyl alcohol, sodium meth-
oxide in methanol, and sodium
ethoxide in ethanol with PET. They
have demonstrated that, of the
above-mentioned solutions, sodi-
um ethoxide in ethanol is the most
reactive and an aqueous solution
of sodium hydroxide is the least
reactive. In the recycling of PET to
terephthalates of alkali metals or
alkaline-earth metals, a process
described by Benzaria may be cru-
cial. The de-polymerization is car-
ried out in a mixer-extruder with
the use of solid NaOH at tempera-
turesof100–200⁰C.Afterthedistil-
lation of EG from the post reaction
mixture under reduced pressure, a
corresponding salt of terephthalic
acid in the form of a powder is ob-
tained. In this method the neces-
sity of separating the glycol and
water mixture is eliminated, which
is undoubtedly its essential ad-
vantage. The degree of polyester
saponification achieved a level of
about 97% [41].
Alkaline Hydrolysis in the Pres-
ence of a Phase Transfer Cata-
lyst
Phase transfer catalysed alkali
decomposition of PET taken from
post-consumer soft-drink bottles,
was revealed to be an efficient
method for the reproduction of
pure terephthalic acid. The kinet-
ics of the depolymerisation reac-
tion was extensively studied. The
effects of temperature, alkali con-
centration, PET particle size, PET
concentration and catalyst to PET
ratio on the TPA yield were inves-
tigated. This method had been
applied in PET fibres as well as Ny-
lon-46 and Nylon-66 fibers. Very
good results were obtained for the
de-polymerization of PET and the
yield of TPA was as high as 93%.
Kosmidis extended the use of the
phase-transfer catalyst in the de-
polymerization of PET flakes taken
from waste soft-drink bottles and
the reaction kinetics was exten-
sively studied [32].
Acid Hydrolysis
Acid hydrolysis is performed most
frequently using concentrated
sulphuric acid, although other
mineral acids such as nitric or
phosphoric acid have also been
employed. In order to avoid high
pressures and temperatures in the
reaction vessel, a concentrated
sulphuric acid (14.5 M) has been
proposed by Pusztaszeri, Brown,
O’Brien and Sharma. However,
the process becomes very costly
due to the need to recycle large
amounts of concentrated H2SO4
and the purification of EG from the
sulphuric acid. TPA recovery from
PET scrap material in concen-
trated sulphuric acid at 60– 93 ⁰C
has been also described (acid con-
centration of, at least, 87 wt.%).
EG was recovered from the final
filtrate through extraction with
organic solvents such as trichlo-
roethylene. In another patent, the
production of pure TPA was de-
scribed by acid hydrolysis of PET
in a 90 wt.% H2SO4 solution at
85–90 ⁰C. A substantial drawback
of PET hydrolysis by concentrated
sulphuric acid is the high corro-
siveness of the reaction system
and the generation of large quan-
tities of inorganic salts and aque-
ous wastes. Different parameters,
such as acid concentration, time,
temperature and PET particle size,
on the decomposition and reac-
tion yield was investigated there.
Acid hydrolysis of PET in sulphu-
ric acid at different temperatures
and solution concentrations was
reported. The depolymerisation
reaction was carried out in a 0.5
L reactor equipped with a reflux
condenser and a magnetic agita-
tor. The required amount of the
sulphuric-acid solution (70–83
wt.%), together with the PET
flakes, was added into the reactor
and heated to the desired reaction
temperature (between 30 and 90
⁰C). The agitation started in order
to keep the mixture homogene-
ous and the reflux condenser set.
The reaction time started and the
mixture was allowed to react for
3–5 h. Afterwards, the mixture
was filtered to separate the TPA
produced and the unreacted PET.
A solution of KOH was added to
the solid product. In this way, the
TPA reacted to form the dipotas-
sium salt, while PET remained un-
reacted. Finally, the mixture was
filtered again, dried in an oven
until it had a constant weight and
weighed in order to calculate the
percentage of unreacted PET. The
depolymerisation reaction of PET
with water in an acid (H2SO4) en-
vironment proceeds according to
the reaction in below. The detailed
mechanism of acid depolymerisa-
tion is as under [41][43].

19
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
Glycolysis
Another most important method
in chemical processing of PET is
glycolysis. This process is used
widely on a commercial scale. The
glycolysis reaction is the molecu-
lar degradation of PET polymer by
glycols, in the presence of trans-
esterification catalysts, mainly
metal acetates, where ester link-
ages are broken and replaced with
hydroxyl terminals [41].
Quaternary recycling
The energy content of the plastics
waste can be recovered by inciner-
ation. When the collection, sorting
and separation of plastics waste
are difficult or economically not vi-
able, or the waste is toxic and haz-
ardous to handle, the best waste
management option is incinera-
tion to recover the chemical en-
ergy stored in plastics waste in the
form of thermal energy. This is car-
ried out in special type of reactors
called incinerators, to burn wastes
inthepresenceofairinacontrolled
manner to convert hydrocarbons
of the plastic into carbon dioxide
and water. The heat produced by
burning plastics in the waste in the
form of superheated steam can be
utilized for generating electricity
through turbine generators, and
the residual heat from the waste
stream for heating residential and
industrial buildings. The melt resi-
due from the incinerator is free
from toxicity hazards and may be
disposed of by landfill. Although
polymers are actually high yield-
ing energy sources, this method
has been widely accused of being
ecologically unacceptable owing
to the health risk from air borne
toxic substances such as dioxins
(in the case of chlorine containing
polymers). It should admit that it
is not possible to have zero emis-
sion in the incineration of waste
plastic. Apart from the aforemen-
tioned methods, direct reuse of a
plastic material (i.e., PET) could be
considered as a ‘‘zero-order’’ recy-
cling technique [8].
In a lot of countries, it is a com-
mon practice for PET bottles to
be refilled and reused. However,
this should be done with great
care since plastic bottles are more
likely than glass to absorb con-
taminants that could be released
back into food when the bottle
is refilled. Moreover, refilling of a
PET bottle with a drink with high
alcohol content may lead to deg-
radation of the macromolecular
chains with unexpected results.
Worldwide, the main end-use of
post-consumer PET is for the pro-
duction of fibers (almost 70%),
with only 4% of PET recycled with
chemical methods. Among the
above recycling techniques, the
only one acceptable according
to the principles of sustainable
development (development that
meets the needs of the present
generation without compromising
the ability of future generations to
meet their needs) is chemical re-
cycling; since it leads to the forma-
tion of the raw materials (mono-
mers) from which the polymer is
made. In this way the environment
is not surcharged and there is no
need for extra resources (mono-
mers) for the production of PET.
This method refers to the recovery
of the plastic’s energy content.
The most effective way to reduce
the volume of organic materials
which involves the recovery of
energy is represented by incinera-
tion. This method is a good solu-
tion because it generates consid-
erable energy from polymers, but
it’s not ecologically acceptable be-
cause of the health risk from air-
borne toxic substances, for exam-
ple dioxins (in the case of heavy
metals, chlorine-containing poly-
mers, toxic carbon, and oxygen-
based free radicals). Among the
above recycling techniques, the
only one acceptable according to
the principles of sustainable de-
velopment is chemical recycling,
because this method leads to the
formation of the monomers from
which the polymer is made [41]
[50].
.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
Different techniques involved in polymer recycling
A fourth recycling technique,
called the quaternary recycling
process for plastic waste admin-
istration is concerned with the re-
cuperation of its vitality content.
Incineration (ignition), pointed
towards recuperation of vitality is
as of now the most powerful ap-
proach to decrease the volume of
natural material, inferable from an
absence of other reusing potential
outcomes.
Plastics, either thermoplastic or
thermosetting, are really high-
yielding vitality sources. One litre
of warming oil has a net calorific
estimation of 10,200 kcal, while
1 kg of plastics discharges 11,000
kcal worth of vitality. For examina-
tion reason it can be said that 1 kg
of charcoal briquettes have a net
calorific estimation of 4800 kcal.
It was assessed that by smoulder-
ing 1 ton of waste, roughly 250 l of
warming oil can be spared. Clean
incineration of civil strong waste is
broadly acknowledged in nations
like Sweden and Germany (50 %
of aggregate MSW), Denmark (65
%), Switzerland (80 %), and Japan
(70 %). Albeit there exist extremely
stringent discharge regulations,
more than 50 reject units are
working in Germany. As has been
mentioned above, among the dif-
ferent reusing methods, the one
and only satisfactory strategy as
per the standards of supportable
advancement is substance reus-
ing, since it prompts the develop-
ment of the crude materials (mon-
omers) from which the polymer
was originally produced [41].
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50. www.mdpi.com

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
THE EMERGING FUTURE FOR POLYESTER
RASHI TRIVEDI
Student Mentor
Department of Textiles and Apparel Designing, Sir Vithaldas Thackersey College of Home Science
(Autonomous), SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
ANNU JAIN
Introduction
Polyester (PET) is the most widely
used fibre in the apparel industry,
accounting for around 52% of the
total volume of fibres produced
globally. The apparel industry ac-
counts for around 32 million tons
of the 57 million tons of polyester
used each year [1]. It is used wide-
ly in technical textiles as well.
Polyester is polymerized from the
monomer ethylene. Polyesters
can be thermoset or thermoplas-
tic, saturated or unsaturated. The
two main types of polyester are
PCDT (poly-1, 4-cyclohexylene-di-
methylene terephthalate) and PET
(polyethylene terephthalate) [2].
PET
PET is among those plastics which
are an important part of your
everyday life. It is an important
commercial polymer having ap-
plication ranging from packag-
ing, fabrics, films, moulded parts
for automotive, electronics... and
many more. You can find this fa-
mous clear plastic around you as
water bottle or soda bottle con-
tainer.
Fig. 1: PET recycling code
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET
or PETE) is a general-purpose ther-
moplastic polymer which belongs
to the polyester family of poly-
mers. Polyester resins are known
for their excellent combination of
properties such as mechanical,
thermal, chemical resistance as
well as dimensional stability.
PolyethyleneTerephthalateorPET
products are 100% recyclable and
is the most recycled plastic world-
wide. PET can be easily identified
by its recycling code #1. Low diffu-
sion coefficient makes PET much
more suitable than other plastic
materials for use as a recovered,
recycled material.
Post-consumer PET bottles are
collected and processed through
a series of special washing pro-
cesses or by a chemical treatment
to break down the PET into its raw
materials or intermediates which
are further used to produce recy-
cled PET (rPET) flakes. PET bottles
and containers that find their way
to the landfill pose no risk of harm
or leaching. Since the polymer is
inert, it is resistant to attack by mi-
cro-organisms, and won't biologi-
cally degrade. PET bottles can also
easily crush flat and hence, takes
up relatively little landfill space
[3].
PCDT
The process of creating PCDT pol-
yester is similar to the process of
creating PET polyester, but this
polyester variant has a different
chemical structure. While PCDT
also consists of ethylene glycol
reacted with dimethyl terephtha-
late, different production pro-
cesses are used to make these two
common polyester variations.
While PCDT polyester is not as
popular as PET polyester, it is
more elastic which makes it ideal
for certain applications. PCDT pol-
yester is also more durable than
PET polyester, so this fabric is fre-
quently preferred for heavy-duty

23
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
applications like upholstery and
curtains [4].
Recycling process
Polyester is made from recycled
plastic bottles which cuts out the
need for petroleum and coal ex-
traction. Recycled polyester liter-
ally starts at the dump to collect
plastic bottles that don’t belong
in landfills. From there, the plastic
bottles are shredded into flakes
by a machine. Those flakes are
melted down into pellets, then the
pellets are extruded into yarn. The
yarn is then knitted, cut, and sewn
into clothing just like any other
yarn[5]. Today, mechanically recy-
cled polyester from plastic water
bottles makes up the vast majority
of recycled polyester than chemi-
cally recycled polyester [1].
Brands promoting rPET
In 2017, Textile Exchange’s Recy-
cled Polyester (rPET) Round Table
created an rPET Commitment to
encourage brands and retailers to
publicly commit to accelerating
their use of recycled polyester by
25% by 2020. 59 renowned textile,
apparel and retail companies—
including major brands such as
adidas, Dibella, Eileen Fisher, Gap
Inc., HM, IKEA, Lindex, MetaWear,
Target and Timberland—commit-
ted to or are supporting an in-
crease in their use of rPET by at
least 25% by 2020 [1].
PATAGONIA-Patagonia recycles
used plastic bottles, unusable
manufacturing waste and worn-
out garments into polyester fi-
bres to produce clothing. Patago-
nia has very little virgin polyester
left in their line, and are actively
working to convert the remaining
amount to recycled material. They
use polyester in many of their
products, including hard shells,
boardshorts, fleece and Capilene®
baselayers. For the Fall 2020 sea-
son, 84% of polyester fabrics were
made with recycled polyester and
in Spring 2020 season, 80% of Pa-
tagonia’s polyester fabrics were
made with recycled polyester [6].
Fig 2. Patagonia Product
Everlane- In October 2018, Ever-
lane announced plans to eliminate
all virgin plastics from its supply
chain by 2021. 75 per cent of the
plastics the company uses which
primarily come from polyester,
nylon and elastane used in outer-
wear, underwear and some sweat-
ers were recycled. Nearly half of
Everlane’s shoes were made us-
ing recycled substances, and vir-
gin plastic has been replaced with
recycled plastic in the poly bags
used for shipping and distribution
[7]. Everlane made a new outwear
clothing ‘The ReNew Collection’
consisting of only recycled polyes-
ter products and includes no new
plastic in their supply chain. The
collection is incredible warm and
stylish with 3 million plastic bot-
tles renewed [8].
Fig. 3 Renew collection
IKEA- IKEA is committed to end
the dependency on virgin fossil
materials and use only renewable
or recycled materials by 2030. To-
day 50 percent of all polyester tex-
tile products produced by IKEA are
made of recycled polyester, and
through innovations and new de-
signs all products will be by next
year. Already IKEA uses the equiv-
alent of 5 billion collected and
recycled PET bottles in its textile
product range [9].
NIKE- Yarn, soles and basketball
courts are a few examples of the
many products Nike creates by
transforming plastic bottles, man-
ufacturing scraps and used prod-
uct into new materials. In fact, 75
percent of all Nike shoes and ap-
parel now contain some recycled
material [10]. Nike came up with
programs ‘Reuse-A-Shoe’ and
“Nike Grind’ where they convert
waste products into playgrounds,
running tracks, courts, etc. [11,12].
Fig. 4 Nike Griend and reuse the
shoe
Recron Greengold - Reliance is
one of the largest polyester yarn
and fibre producer in the world
with a capacity of 2.3 million
tonnes per annum. Reliance in-
vests significant amounts on re-
search and development in the
polyester sector [13]. Greengold
is a fibre which has the lowest car-
bon footprints globally with 25%
reduction of carbon footprint. It
also follows zero waste concept
i.e., all the waste generated is
used. No waste leaves the system.
Waste is either reused as fuel for
boiler or sold for other applica-
tions [14]. Recron Greengold con-
sists of 2 products in their range-
Recron Greengold Fibre and Tow
and Recron Greengold EcoD Fibre
and Tow. Applications of these fi-
bres are in apparel, non- apparel,
home textiles and high fashion
[15].

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
Fig. 5 Recron greengold logo
Conclusion
Recycling of polyester definitely
helps in decreasing the manufac-
turing of virgin polyester; which
results in less dependency on pe-
troleum as raw material and also
decreases the amount of waste
PET bottles that go in the land-
fill each year. But even after re-
cycling, polyester still remains a
non-biodegradable fiber/fabric.
rPET products will also end up in
the landfill after few years of usage
like a closed loop. Overall, rPET
is a great step towards sustain-
ability as it helps in decreasing the
number of waste PET bottles from
the environment that are thrown
away. Kudos to the brands that
are promoting circular economy;
though the use of rPET and the
brands, who have created a whole
new line specially for the recycled
products!
Acknowledgement: The Authors
wish to thank Dr. Suman Deepak
Mundkur for her valuable sugges-
tions.
References
1. Luppino, R. (n.d.). Recycled
Polyester Commitment. Retrieved
from https://textileexchange.org/
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thalate-pet-plastic
4. Sewport. (2019, December 06).
What is Polyester Fabric: Proper-
ties, How its Made and Where. Re-
trieved from https://sewport.com/
fabrics-directory/polyester-fabric
5. Loca, N. (2020, August 12).
Did You Know That Your Clothes
Are Made From Recycled Plas-
tic? Retrieved from https://www.
naraloca.com/post/did-you-
know-that-your-clothes-are-
made-from-recycled-plastic
6. Environmental Responsibil-
ity. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.patagonia.com/our-foot-
print/recycled-polyester.html
7. Cernansky, R., Arnett, G.,
Vogue Business Data Insights
Team. (2019, November 20). Ever-
lane has eliminated 75% of virgin
plastics from its supply chain. Re-
trieved from https://www.vogue-
business.com/sustainability/
everlane-ceo-michael-preysman-
eliminate-virgin-plastic-oceana-
partnership
8. EVERLANE ReNew. (n.d.). Re-
trieved from https://www.ever-
lane.com/renew
9. IKEA aims to use only recy-
cled polyester in textile prod-
ucts by 2020. (2019, June 04).
Retrieved from https://news-
room.inter.ikea.com/news/
ikea-aims-to-use-only-recycled-
polyester-in-textile-products-
by-2020/s/696f91bd-99d5-49db-
8b1c-b57d4d5f4705
10. Nike's Latest Sustainable In-
novations and Environmental
Impact. (2018, May 15). Retrieved
from https://news.nike.com/news/
sustainable-innovation-air-bag-
manufacture
11. Nike Grind: Changing the
Game From the Ground Up. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.ni-
kegrind.com/
12. GET HELP. (n.d.). Retrieved
from https://www.nike.com/
help/a/recycle-shoes
13. The Reliance Group. (n.d.). Re-
trieved from https://recrongreen-
gold.com/about-us.html
14. Greenest* Fibres. Golden
Heart. (n.d.). Retrieved from htt-
ps://recrongreengold.com/green-
gold-revolution.html
15. Product Range:. (n.d.). Re-
trieved from https://recrongreen-
gold.com/product-info.html
Image References
Fig.no. Label Link
1 PET recycling code https://om-
nexus.specialchem.com/_/media/
selection-guides/omnexus/pol-
ymer-profiles/pet/pet-recycling-
code.jpg?la=en
2 Patagonia products https://
www.patagonia.com/shop/recy-
cled-polyester-clothing
3 ReNew collection https://www.
everlane.com/renew
4 Nike Grind and Reuse-A-Shoe
https://purpose.nike.com/reuse-
a-shoe
5 Recron Greengold logo h t t -
ps://recrongreengold.com/
Creativity takes courage. – henri matisse

25
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
H R F O C U S
Rajiv Misra
R Square Consulting
COACHING YOUR TEAM MEMBERS TO
PERFORM AT A HIGHER LEVEL
Ihave worked with a number
of owners/founders of companies
in the last 7 years. The roles that I
have played range from an Execu-
tive Coach to a strategic HR Advi-
sor. Also, as someone who helps
them set up world class people
practices and systems, which has
a direct impact on their business
results. Over the years, one aspect
which keeps recurring, no matter
what role out of the three men-
tioned above, that I am playing is
“How do I as an owner/ founder
help my direct reports perform at
a higher level?”
Sometimes it is about their appre-
hension of trying to support some-
one who they perceive as highly
qualified and experienced (and
he should know how to do the job
himself) and at other times, it is
about their lack of knowledge of
the principles of effective coach-
ing.
It is important here to first clearly
differentiate between Mentoring
and Coaching. According to most
experts, a mentor, is someone who
offers his/her knowledge, exper-
tise and advice, to those with less
experience. By leveraging their ex-
perience and skills, mentors guide
mentees in the right direction.
Wwith long term development of
the mentee as the outcome. The
mentor is responsible for provid-
ing the support, and provide feed-
back to the mentee. Mentoring
relationships are normally more
long-term.
Coaching on the other hand is a
short term engagement with a
clear goal of improving the perfor-
mance of the client in a short time
frame with clear performance
parameters. The coach normal-
ly progresses the client along a
co- created path through asking
thought provoking questions and
reflection on the part of the cli-
ent. Coaching is a development
process whereby, an individual
meets/interacts on a regular basis
to clarify goals, deal with potential
stumbling blocks, and improve
their performance.
As an owner/founder or a leader
in an organization you may be
playing both the role of mentor
and coach based on the situation,
however, in this article we will
be discussing only the aspect of
coaching.
Certain questions which come up
to your mind of could be:
a. When should you coach some-
one?
b. How does one coach a team
member or what should be the
process of coaching?
c. What are the benefits of coach-
ing?
A coaching conversation is a for-
mal and structured event with a
very clear aim or a goal. In most
cases, the aim of the coaching
conversation is the improvement
in the performance of the person
being coached in a specific as-
pect. There is no limit to how long
the coaching session should be al-
though most experts believe that
a 60 to 90 minutes duration of a
focused session is most effective.
In a work environment, when you
as a leader are coaching a team
member, the coaching conversa-
tion on a specific issue could take
as less as 30 minutes.
In this article, I would like to focus
on how an owner/founder/leader
in an organization can use coach-
ing to improve the performance
of his/her team member. So let us
move to the first question that I
posed earlier i.e. When should you
coach a team member?
Ideally a coaching conversation
should take place in the following
situations:
a. Developing high potentials in
the organization.
b. Helping a team member de-
velop long-term goals and to help
him/her in achieving the same.
c. When a challenging task / pro-
ject is given to a team member
and the team member is strug-
gling with an issue/problem with
a business goal or managing peo-
ple.
d. Improving performance. These
could be in the following situa-
tions
i. He/she misses timelines more
than once.
ii. A good performer starts to make
mistakes/errors or the perfor-
mance starts dipping.
iii. The team member becomes
angry/upset or starts having work-
place conflicts with others in the
team.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
26 H R F O C U S
Let us now move to the second
aspect, which is, how does one
coach a team member? In an ideal
situation, the coaching conversa-
tion should take place as soon as
possible to the event which trig-
gered the coaching conversation.
This ensures that the event is fresh
in the mind and remedial steps if
required, are taken as soon as pos-
sible. The following process is rec-
ommended for making the coach-
ing conversation more effective.
a. State the issue you want to dis-
cuss first. It could be goal setting
of key behaviour change for next
one year, to find a solution for an
issue that the team member is fac-
ing or performance related.
b. Take time to listen and under-
stand the team members perspec-
tive. Provide examples or ask for
them to ensure that both of you
clearly understand the issue and
the outcome, that both of you are
aiming to achieve.
c. Ask open-ended questions to
encourage the team members to
give out their views, use active lis-
tening techniques to ensure that
the team member feels that, you
are interested in understanding
his/her perspective.
d. Once there is a shared under-
standing of the issue, shift the con-
versation to the next steps with
a clear plan with timelines and
monitoring framework.
e. Set up a process by which the
team member can get in touch
with you, in case of any issues be-
ing faced by him/her.
f. Appreciate and recognise the
team member and let the team
member know that you have con-
fidence in him/her.
Coaching your team member has
multiple benefits, a few of them
are:
a. Improved performance of the
team member
b. Higher team engagement and
alignment with organization and
owner/founder.
c. The process makes the team feel
empowered and encourages them
to take responsibility and become
more accountable.
d. Openness to learning and self
development.
e. Team members become more
self aware and involved.
As a owners/founder, you wear
multiple hats and there are so
many things which you have to
do to keep your business grow-
ing. Coaching key team members
seems to be another task which
just adds to the things that you
have to do in a day, however, tak-
ing time out for coaching could
be the most important thing that
you can do as the benefits are
tremendous in terms of business
outcomes. So take time out of
you very busy schedule and start
spending at least an hour every
week to coach a team member.
You would be surprised at the re-
sults after 6 months!
ANVITA AJGAONKAR
StudentofFashionDesigning,NIFT,Gandhinagar
STUDY ON PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES USED
BY LOCAL TAILORS
Abstract
Sewing has an ancient history es-
timated to have begun during the
Palaeolithic Era. Sewing was used
to stitch animal hides together for
the indispensable necessity such
as clothing and shelter. Clothing
has always been an integral part
of a human’s life. Self-expression
and fashion trends are practiced
by the clothes they wear. Sew-
ing is practiced since civilizations
and the first sewing machine was
introduced in 1755. This paper is
a survey on a certain segment of
tailors, since they are at the prox-
imity to ITI institutes. The research
identified the problems and ana-
lysed, the need of upgrading their
skills in respect to the finishing
of seams, handling of fabrics, fit-
ting issues, knowledge of tools,
change of needles and pressure
foot for different operations. Stud-
ied and observed their process of
finishing garments and quality of
a garment. The tailors were also
suggested schemes or institutes
if provided by the government
to join, also took their take on it
if they would be willing to be up-
skilled.
Keywords: Fashion, Government
schemes, History, Individuals,
Quality, Upskilling.
Introduction
Living in a world that keeps on
evolving, fashion describes the
personality of a person. The qual-
ity and look of the clothing are
of utmost importance, which at-
tracts opportunities from the vari-
ous market segments. Today's in-
S T U D Y : L O C A L TA I L O R S

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
27
S T U D Y : L O C A L TA I L O R S
dustry faces increased customer
demand from individuals, hoping
for customizable products in a
shorter duration. In the making of
the final garment, there are a cou-
ple of procedures. Measurements
are taken; accordingly, the pattern
is made and placed on the fabric,
ready to be cut. Pieces are bought
together, and an entire garment
is made with the help of a sewing
machine to stitch using seams, in-
terlocks, and hemming for quality
enhancement. As observed, most
local tailors cut the pieces with-
out keeping in mind the shrink-
age and the body's shape leading
to an ill fit. They use one type of
needle for all the fabrics irrespec-
tive of the kind of material used.
Fabrics used are categorized into
very fine, light, medium and heavy
weighted. Different needles vary
upon different fabrics for exam-
ple, 8, 9 and 10 number needles
are used for very fine, 11 and 12
number needles are used for light-
weighted, 14 number needles
are used for medium weight, and
16 number needles are used for
heavy weighted fabrics such as
denim, corduroy. The local tailors
use one kind of presser foot for all
types of zippers and piping, which
disturbs and foils the garment's
entire look. Presser foot is a part
attached to a sewing machine that
holds the fabric down under the
needle as it is sewn. It is changed
according to different operations
for zippers and pipping single
presser foot is used while the in-
visible foot is used for concealed
zippers. As the garment is towards
finishing, seams play a significant
role in sustaining the garment for
a longer time. Most of the local tai-
lors avoid seams which leads the
quality to degrade further. Thus,
it affects consumer behaviour
by looking for qualitative prod-
ucts leaving the local tailors at a
considerable disadvantage and
adversely affecting their income.
There is a need to understand the
skills and quality produced by the
tailors and providing them with
a solution on skill development
which will indeed help in their
being better informed on the dif-
ferent kinds of seams, the impor-
tance of different needles and the
advantages of presser foot leading
to a favourable quality of the prod-
uct as per customer requirement.
Literature Review
“The need for a robust framework
starting from a skill development
program for the tailors that as-
sesses present skill levels imparts
skilling and upskilling training. It
should also provide quality infra-
structure, develop a better work-
ing environment, sustainable
and enhanced income with so-
cial security for tailors and most
importantly, improved customer
satisfaction leading to increas-
ing in fabric sales. To enable this,
we have set up the first of its kind
Centre of Tailoring Excellence in
Thane. Raymond has instituted
certification-based skill-building
programs for Master Tailors, Kari-
gars as well as for students enter-
ing the tailoring domain. The main
objective is to skill the community
to impact the quality of garments
and provide a sustainable liveli-
hood. A skilled tailor must know
the complete process of measure-
ment, drafting a pattern, stitching,
and finishing off any garment as
per industry standards. We tapped
into the PMKVY RPL scheme and
conducted an upskilling program
for our master tailors and conduct-
ed an upskilling program for our
master tailors and Karigars across
our network. The courses were
further customized by introduc-
ing few topics like Understanding
Body Types, Introduction to Sea-
sonal Collections, Raymond Certi-
fied Quality parameters for Shirts,
Trousers, and Jackets as well as
Introduction to Pattern-based
drafting techniques. This course
was aligned with Self-Employed
Tailor NSQF LEVEL 4.” Raymond
boosts Skill India mission through
a sustainable tailoring ecosystem
in India.
Nagori Neeta (2017) in her study
stated that, “In today’s global era,
peoples are demanding for more
personalized tailors, designed
garments. The most prime pro-
cess in garment production is sew-
ing. The final look of the garment
is successful when the sewing is
proper. Ultimately the proper
sewing leads to many factors. So,
this paper explores the survey of
100 tailors in Gandhidham and
Adipur unit, the researcher identi-
fied and described certain factors
such as selection of needle ac-
cording to weight of fabrics, brand
of sewing machine, brand of nee-
dle, cost of needles, needle size,
breaking of needles in a month,
stitch problems and musculoskel-
etal pains faced by tailors. So, a
study on “sewing related prob-
lems amongst 100 tailors in Gan-
dhidham, Adipur units of Kutch
Region” was done. In this study,
tailors were suggested to use or-
gan needles as its price is com-
paratively more, but it breaks very
less and ultimately it will be profit-
able for tailors as it saves time as
well as minimizing ergonomically
problems, such as eye–strain, in-
creases productivity leading to
proper functioning.”
Objective
The objective of this study is to ex-
plore the quality and skills of local
tailors and their awareness of the
different kinds of seams, needles
and presser foot, fabric under-
standing and handling, and qual-
ity of the product (that includes fit
issues). To suggest improvisation
in productivity and efficiency that
will benefit their livelihood.
Methodology
Five tailors were visited, those
who work in GH-0, Infocity, Gan-
dhinagar. The data was collected
based on qualitative and quantita-
tive information. They were inter-
viewed using a set of pre-planned
questions. They were observed
during their work, the way they
prepared the pieces and stitched
them together. Images were taken
while they worked. Observations
were based on personal visits and
image references of their work to
draw conclusions.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1
28 S T U D Y : L O C A L TA I L O R S
Results and analysis
For conducting the research, a
questionnaire was adminstered.
Five tailors who work independet-
ly in Infocity were interviewed and
observed. Questions were asked
regarding how long they are in this
business, from where they have
learned, the stitching charges
they apply on a piece of garment,
whether they have knowledge
only related to altering or can
make new pieces, their monthly
earnings, etc. The work they were
currently doing and some of the
pieces they worked on was ob-
served. 60% know only related to
menswear and how to construct
pants, whereas the rest 40% can
make only women's wear. Tailors
reported that they can alter a gar-
ment in 15-20 minutes by using
plain seams and without cutting
the extra ease. It was observed
that the latered garment looks
bulky at the parts where alteration
is done and uncomfortable when
worn. According to observation,
at least 45 minutes to 1 hour was
taken by the local tailors to alter
the garments by properly fitting,
trimming, and stitched with ap-
propriate seams.
There are thirty-three types of
presser foots, which have differ-
ent operations. Out of these thir-
ty-three, certain common presser
foots are commonly used in the
market: all-purpose presser foot,
zipper/piping foot, and invisible
zipper foot. As observed, the tai-
lors used zipper/piping foot for
all the operations, from attaching
pieces to stitching an invisible zip-
per; this leads to uneven stitching,
uneven attachment, and quality
degradation of the product.
Another problem that was ob-
served during the study was the
fit issue. Specific tools such as the
french curve (use for the armhole
and neck shape), pattern master,
hip curve and leg curve help un-
derstandandattainapropershape
of the desired body size. The local
tailors need to understand varia-
tions in body shapes, which will
help in improving efficiency and
better providing. Hence, avoiding
chances of fit issues that occur
most of the times.
Mr. Mahendra
Length of the trouser reduced; end
of the trouser having the hem was
cut and attached to the trouser af-
ter reducing its length giving it un-
finished look from inside
No casing given for the elastic,
hence giving it a bad shape and
degradation in quality.
Extra ease left at the crotch hence
bulking and no interlocking is
done which results is removal of
threads
Summary and Conclusion
No casing given for the elastic,
hence giving it a bad shape and
degradation in quality. After in-
terviewing and analysing the local
tailors, they do not have enough
knowledge about what affects the
quality of products that they deliv-
er to their customers. After ques-
tioning them if they would learn
further to enhance their skills, the
answer was no, due to financial is-
sues, some of them believed that,
they have gained enough knowl-
edge, and some were not inter-
ested to learn more. According
to one respondent, to learn more
he needs to spend money which
he cannot afford and if he spends
moneyinlearning,hisfamilyneeds
will not be sufficed. His main con-
cern was, that he is the only earn-
ing member and ₹2,000- ₹3,000 he
needs to take back home for his
family. If the government provides
under Skill India mission a short
course for educating the tailors
and upskilling their knowledge, it
would be considered. If some in-
centives were provided to these
tailors for upgrading their skills,
they would not hesitate to learn. It
will also suffice their family needs.
After doing thorough research and
proposing the above hypothetic
scheme 60% were ready to learn
further, as it would benefit their
livelihoods. The rest 40% believe
that they have mastered the skills
of tailoring.
References
1. Madhuri Dubey, ‘Raymonds
boosts Skill India mission through
a sustainable tailoring ecosystem
in India’ January 23, 2019. Avail-
able on https://www.national-
skillsnetwork.in/raymond-tailor-
ing-ecosystem/
2. Nagori, Neeta. (2017). A Study
on the Functioning and Problems
of Tailors of Gandhidham and Ad-
ipur Region of Kutch.

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