Sustainable Denim Yarn: Quality-Cost Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Optimization

Due to its increasing importance, the circular economy concept has encouraged spinners to produce sustainable products. We investigated the proper use of recycled fiber, from spinning waste, as a low cost and sustainable raw material to spin blended yarn. The increasing ratio of recycled fiber is known to affect the final yarn quality. Compromise between cost and quality of yarn prepared from recycled fibers was approached using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Results show that AHP was a suitable approach to convert a subjective assessment (expert opinion) for an objective decision maker. A mixture of 80% recycled fibers and 20% virgin cotton (Malian) was selected as an optimal raw material to spin blended yarn with, obtaining a better compromise between quality and manufacturing cost.