China - February 24, 2025 China's textile industry recycles nylon waste for eco-friendly production (Voice_over) China's textile industry, responsible for more than half of the world's fiber production, is churning out more environmentally friendly products as part of the country's focus on reducing its textile waste. At a leading chemical fiber factory in the southern Chinese city of Fuzhou, a new production line began operations recently that turns nylon waste into brand-new nylon. Typically, nylon is made from carbon molecules derived from petroleum. But this system uses old nylon clothes and socks as raw materials to make new nylon in a regeneration process that involves sterilization, crushing and decolorization. (Sound_bite) Li Ming, Technical Director, Chemical Fiber Factory: "With the supercritical technology for which we have intellectual property rights, we are able to recycle worn-out clothing fabrics with a nylon content of more than 50 percent." (Voice_over) The regenerated nylon yarn has been used to produce outdoor sportswear, windbreakers and undergarments. Staff from the company said more than a dozen brands from places in Europe, South Korea and Japan have contacted them to collaborate. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]