Chemical Recycling of Waste Nylon Market - Forecast (2024-2030)

The chemical recycling of waste nylon market size is forecast to reach USD 931.80 Million by 2030, after growing at a CAGR of 18.64% during 2024-2030. Chemical recycling technologies have attracted the interest of policymakers, businesses, and scientists. The first factor is the rise in waste production and different waste streams, many of which contain hazardous compounds, along with the environmental damage this expansion and poor management practices have produced. The linear economics of consumption, which results in the depletion of natural resources, climate change, and pollution and could have a significant impact on the future of human society, is the second (closely linked) factor. Despite being a useful substance Plastic has a long shelf life and continues to pollute the environment on an unparalleled scale. Between 2000 and 2022, the global production of plastic waste witnessed a significant increase, surging to 380 million tonnes, more than twice the amount produced in 2000. Only 10% of this plastic waste is recycled, while an additional 18% is subjected to incineration. A substantial 50% finds its way to landfills, and a concerning 22% manages to elude proper waste management systems, eventually winding up in unregulated dumpsites, being burned in open pits, or contaminating terrestrial and aquatic environments. This is especially prevalent in less affluent regions, as indicated by estimates from the OECD and IndustryARC.

The report “Chemical Recycling of Waste Nylon Market – Forecast (2024-2030)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the chemical recycling of waste nylon market.

By Constituents: Caprolactam and Hexamethylene Diamine / Adipic Acid

By Type: Polyamide 6 (PA 6) and Polyamide 66 (PA 66)

By Application: Stocking Factories, Webbings, Spinning, Textile Laboratories, and Others 

By Geography:  North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and RoW

• Europe market accounted for the largest industry share in 2023 and the demand for chemical recycling of waste nylon in various applications has increased such as Webbings, Stocking Factories, and Textile Laboratories has raised the market in this region. 

• North America, South America, APAC, and ROW have also witnessed market growth due to the demand for chemical recycling of waste nylon for applications like Stocking Factories, Webbings, Spinning, Textile Laboratories, and Others.

• Biomass, concrete, and plastic waste are only a few of the wastes that are processed using chemicals. Research into the chemical recycling of plastic waste is extensive.  Despite being a useful substance Plastic has a long shelf life and continues to pollute the environment on an unparalleled scale. 

Depolymerization dominated the Chemical Recycling of Waste Nylon Market in 2023. Depolymerization of recycled nylon 6 carpet offers a promising brand-new, ecologically friendly method of producing superior caprolactam. Most carpets are made of nylon. According to EPA and IndustryArc estimates, 4.1 million tonnes, or 1.2% of all MSW generated in 2023, were made up of carpets and rugs and about 377 thousand tonnes of carpet fiber, backing, and padding were recycled in 2023, or 9.2% of the total amount of carpet produced. While the bulk of rugs and carpets were landfilled which is about 17.8% were burned for energy recoveries. Over the course of the forecast period, the expansion of the caprolactam market is anticipated to be significantly fueled by the increased demand for nylon clothing.

Recycling polyamide 6 dominated the Chemical Recycling of Waste Nylon Market in 2022. Recycling polyamide 6 is crucial, especially since its presence in landfills is extremely risky and can create massive fires with toxic gas emissions. Carpets are the main application for polyamide 6. According to statistics, 0.8 t and 1 t of PA 6 and PA 66 are produced for every 10 t of carpet trash. With carpets coming from more than 80 collection sites across the US, DuPont's Carpet Reclamation Program processes more than 700 t of carpet each month. Waste products from processing can be made into fuel pellets for use in cement kilns and coal-fired power plants. In light-weight carbon fiber-reinforced, graphene nanoplatelet-reinforced, or reinforcing fibers of cement mortars, polyamide 6 (PA6) is being increasingly explored as a practical matrix material. With the numerous advancements achieved in the technology for recycling plastic solid waste over the past 20 years, the recycling of such a material is gaining more and more attention. Due to rising demand from the global textile and carpet industries, the nylon 6 fibers segment is dominating the market, and is anticipated to rise rapidly over the projected period.

Webbings is expected to remain the largest application of the chemical recycling of waste nylon market by 2030. Webbing is characterized as a solid woven fiber. They come in flat strips or tubular form. Additionally, they can be used in place of ropes. The industry offers various types of webbing. They are typically constructed of polyester, nylon, polypropylene, hemp, cotton, or linen. However, due to its excellent flexibility, nylon makes up the majority of webbing, which is propelling the market growth. The exterior and interior components of cars made by companies like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volkswagen have already been made from nylon fabric. Webbing made up of nylon provides good elasticity. It is employed in the creation of commercial vehicles as a result. The usage of luxury goods is being encouraged by the rise in income levels. As a result, the demand for Nylon webbing has increased due to the increase in the production of cars. 

As a result, the market's main driver of growth is the growing demand for automobiles. The market for nylon webbing is anticipated to profit from Asia Pacific's growing automotive sector and rapid industrialization. For Instance, India's industrialization and government assistance for the auto industry would certainly result in a significant demand for cars. The country's manufacturing sector is anticipated to grow as a result of the promotion of 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the automobile industry.

Europe is expected to dominate the chemical recycling of waste nylon market by 2030. Due to price decreases and faster fashion delivery to consumers, the average person's clothing consumption in the European Union has climbed by 40% in just a few decades. In the entire European Union, just 26% of textiles are recycled for new uses. However, the rise in quick fashion has also been accompanied by an increase in textile waste. In response to the European Union's Green Deal, the European Union created a new "Circular Economy Action Plan”. Companies mostly concentrate on recycling polyester, nylon/polyamide, cotton, wool, and polycotton in the European Union. Technologies for chemical recycling that create high-quality virgin fibers from polyester and nylon are now accessible, whereas they are progressively becoming available for cotton and mixes but are not yet totally economically viable.

• The growing need for green recycling is driving up demand for recycling nylon 

The future of recycling is green recycling. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling is "the separation and collection of materials that would otherwise be considered waste, the processing and remanufacturing of these goods into new products, and the use of the recycled products to complete the cycle" (EPA). Green recycling ensures that there is minimal to no environmental impact during the entire cycle process. A real tool that can advance both social and environmental development is green recycling of used nylon. The environment and the recycling community at large benefit greatly from the green recycling industry. Among other things, it contributes to environmental protection, the improvement of a cleaner environment, job creation, revenue generation, poverty eradication initiatives, the reduction of municipal solid waste, cost and energy savings, and many other things. 

Green entrepreneurs, Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMEs), and people who care deeply about the environment should seize this new business opportunity. Waste nylon and plastic bottles are collected, separated, and reduced as part of the business process before being remanufactured into the same product or completely other items. Shopping bags, nylons, trash throwaway bags, nylon sachets, and other products are among the things that can be manufactured from recycled waste nylon and plastic bottles.

It is profitable and sustainable to start a business recycling used nylon. It is simple to seek out and locate the basic material, in this case, discarded nylon. It can be collected at gatherings, eateries, factories that make pure water, and also at dumps. One can begin as a provider with little to no money by gathering waste nylon (polythene) and selling it to businesses that recycle nylon or to the state government via the trash buyback program. Pure water sachets, used polythene wrappers, and used poly bags are some examples of waste polythene nylon. 20 kg of clean water sachet is contained in a bag full of them, which costs N70 for a kilogram.

Being a recycler necessitates some financial resources. A somewhat larger factory may cost as much as $35,000, whereas a small-scale facility that can process 2 tons per day could cost as little as $11,000. The machines might be made locally or imported. Extruder machines, recycling, and pelletizing equipment, and cutting machines are required for the plant's start-up. Manufacturers can engage cart pushers and scavengers to collect priceless waste polythene nylons from dumps and landfills. The used nylon polythene is collected, sorted, dried, ground, and supplied to the recycling facility. Shopping bags, trash bags, wrapping nylons, and laundry bags are just a few of the useful products made from this waste polythene.

It might be difficult and expensive to recycle nylon. Unlike other recyclable materials like glass and metal, which melt at temperatures between 190 and 350 °C, nylon doesn't. Lower melting temperatures allow for the possibility of some bacteria, germs, and other contaminants surviving the melting process. In spite of the fact that doing so lengthens the process and makes it less appealing and affordable, thoroughly cleaning the material before melting is crucial. However, because it is relatively inexpensive to produce new plastics and polymers, it is frequently more profitable for businesses to simply discard old waste and purchase new materials rather than recycle them. These factors make recycling nylon less prevalent than recycling other types of garbage like metals, plastics, and glass.

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the chemical recycling of waste nylon market. In 2022, the chemical recycling of waste nylon market share has been consolidated by the top ten players accounting for 95% of the share. Major players in the chemical recycling of waste nylon market are Aquafil, Toray, Unifi, Hyosung TNC, Nurel S.A, Nilit, Nord Holding AD, DOMO Chemicals, Refiniverse Inc, and Pistoni S.r.l.