Warwick Research Creates Groundbreaking Reversible Adhesive Technology to Revolutionise Fashion Sustainability

Researchers at The University of Warwick, in collaboration with apparel automation pioneer CreateMe Technologies, have developed a revolutionary thermoreversible adhesive technology poised to transform the fashion industry.

This breakthrough, the result of three years of intensive research and backed by 19 patents, promises to make textile recycling significantly more scalable, reducing waste and improving sustainability in apparel manufacturing.

The research, led by Professor Remzi Becer and Dan Mackinnon Ph.D. from Warwick’s Department of Chemistry, in conjunction with CreateMe’s research scientist Yixin Liu, Ph.D., MS, has created an adhesive that allows garments to be bonded at low temperatures and later disassembled at high temperatures (above dry-cleaning levels).

This innovation directly addresses the fashion industry’s long-standing challenge of textile waste, where 92 million tons of fabric are discarded annually due to inefficient recycling processes.

The fashion industry generates approximately 92 million tons of textile waste annually, with a significant portion ending up in landfills. Today, textile recycling is inherently non-scalable due to the high manual labour resources required to de-stitch and separate non like-for-like fabrics and hardware for in-take.

This reversible adhesive technology enables fully automated bonded assembly and disassembly of garments for recycling. This disassembly process occurs at higher temperatures than typical washing and care operations, reducing the risk of inadvertent failure before the garment reaches the end of its life.

CreateMe and Warwick are actively engaging with industry leaders to scale this groundbreaking adhesive technology, extending its applications beyond fashion through beta testing and licensing opportunities. This scalable approach highlights the adhesive’s potential to address sustainability challenges on a global scale, transforming not only apparel manufacturing but also other industries and recycling industry partners reliant on efficient, circular production models.

source:University of Warwick