CircTex - Innovation towards a circular future for NWE textiles

CircTex - Innovation towards a circular future for NWE textiles
 

Please follow this link to the Circtex webpage where you can follow up on results and gather more information:
https://www.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/circtex-innovation-towards-a-circular-future-for-nwe-textiles/
 



A Summary of the “CircTex” project

The NWE textiles industry uses 17 mio tonnes of non-renewable input materials per year, making it one of the most polluting industries. As a response, NWE policies focus on the transition to a circular economy in textiles. But, insufficiently developed technologies make this impossible.

CircTex focuses on the development of recycling and production technologies in a closed-loop process chain for PET workwear, decreasing as such non-renewable input materials and the ecological impact in NWE textiles.

Workwear is the ideal starting point for an industry-wide innovation, since this sector has a high need of input materials as reuse is not allowed. Thus, many public tenders ask for circular production processes. In addition, higher quality demands are set for workwear, and the user phase severely decreases their recyclability.

The following technologies and processes for circular PET workwear will be developed:

Mechanical and chemical recycling;
Spinning and weaving;
No-waste production;
Wear2 yarn and industrial microwave for assembly and disassembly;
Recyclable laminates, logo’s and accessories;
Collection and sorting systems;

These technologies and processes will be tested and developed in a closed loop process chain, in which the effects of usage on recyclability are also taken into account. Results of CircTex are actively communicated to the NWE textiles industry to increase knowledge and the number of SMEs and enterprises that will actively engage in working towards circularity in textiles.

To ensure a long-term effect, CircTex will set up an innovation network to actively involving the stakeholders in the entire NWE. Finally, an international standard for circular textiles will be initiated to stimulate the further development of a circular process chain for other textiles and textile products.
 



How Does Circular Workwear Work?

This excellent video from a Circtex project partner gives an informative and easily understandable demonstration of how the process works:


 



Here is another excellent video from a Circtex project partner giving some more detail on the process of circular workwear and the function of the various project partners: