DUBAI 10 April 2019: A textiles manufacturing plant, estimated at an initial investment of Dh110 million (US$30 million), is aimed at being set up in Dubai to manufacture pellets that are created from old clothes that are broken down into raw material.
The investment model following the public-private-partnership (PPP) approach to attract investment from local businesses in the UAE with Japanese expertise and knowledge sharing.
Masaki Takao, CEO & Co-Founder of Jeplan (Japan Environmental Planning), explained how the successful pilot plant in Japan set up in 2017 and spread over 10,000 square meters, breaks down old clothes with polyester and cotton fibre through a recycling process to create PET pellets. These pellets are then used to manufacture new fabric that is then put back into the supply chain for a variety of uses including the fashion industry.
Mahesh Advani Managing Director of Blossom Trading and Chairman Texmas (Textile Merchant group) explained further: “The UAE textile industry is the country’s largest trading sector after oil. UAE’s textiles exports cover more than 90 countries in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Europe, while major exporters are China, South Korea, Japan and Asia. Dubai continues to witness transformational growth, largely driven by the emirate’s ability to adopt innovative technology solutions. With Jeplan’s new technology aimed at setting up a factory in Dubai to manufacture the raw material required to create sustainable textile products, we will tick all the boxes on our journey towards a greener future.”
Jeplan’s technology is already being used by high-end retailers such as H&M for whom the Japanese company is making clothing by dissolving polyester fibre from used garb, purifying it and then turning it into a polyester resin that can be used again as raw material for polyester.
The commercial benefits of the manufacturing process will save the textile industry millions of dollars every year as it weans its dependence away from the hydrocarbon industry.