#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-11-19

Textile ETP wraps up T-REX's Policy Roundtable

The T-REX project’s policy roundtable in Brussels on November 12 was a pivotal gathering of experts and leaders committed to advancing Europe’s sustainability efforts. Concluding the event, Secretary General Lutz Walter reflected on the discussions and emphasized the core themes that resonated throughout the day.

Lutz Walter speaking at the T-REX project’s policy roundtable © 2024 Textile ETP

A key theme in Lutz Walter's concluding remarks was recognising Europe’s exceptional creative and innovative talent, highlighting the importance of placing design at the centre of sustainability strategies. However, progress requires more than just ideas. Lutz Walter stressed the need for fostering the right framework conditions that allow creativity to thrive. This includes supportive policies, investment in sustainable practices, and strategic partnerships across the supply chain.

Collaboration, he noted, is the backbone of sustainable development. Only through close cooperation among designers, manufacturers, policymakers, and other stakeholders can Europe achieve lasting advancements.

The roundtable’s discussions also highlighted the role of regional initiatives in advancing the European sustainability agenda. Local projects often serve as testbeds for scalable innovations, responding to community needs while contributing to the broader mission. A recurring point was the importance of robust data. The roundtable underscored that without accurate data, it is difficult to make well-informed decisions or create impactful policies. Enhanced data collection and analysis empower decision-makers with clear insights, helping to chart a strategic path towards sustainability.

The T-REX project, an ECOSYSTEX member project, brings together 13 major players from across the entire value chain to create a harmonised EU blueprint and business opportunities for closed loop sorting, and recycling of household textile waste. Transforming end-of-use textiles, from waste, into a desired feedstock, and a commodity for new business models that can be adopted at scale. Learn more here.

https://trexproject.eu/

From local actions to industrial innovations: SOLSTICE shares mid-project results

Since its launch in May 2024, the SOLSTICE project is accelerating the transition from linear models to circular regional ecosystems in the textile industry, focusing on four key territories: Grenoble-Alpes Métropole (France), Berlin (Germany), Prato (Italy), and Catalonia (Spain). By mid-project, SOLSTICE has already revealed both regional disparities and promising solutions to strengthen textile repair, reuse, and recycling infrastructure.

20 Start-Ups selected for CEMATEX Start-Up Grant at ITMA 2027

CEMATEX has selected 20 emerging start-ups from nine countries to receive the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant and showcase their innovations at Start-Up Valley during ITMA 2027 in Hanover. Their participation will be fully funded by CEMATEX, giving promising early-stage companies access to the world’s leading textile and garment technology platform.

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC. Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

Recover™ names Enes Adak and Fehmi Yüksel as Co-CEOs to accelerate its next growth phase

Recover™, a leading materials science company and global producer of consistent high-quality, recycled cotton fibers and circular material solutions at scale, today announced the appointment of Enes Adak and Fehmi Yüksel as Co-Chief Executive Officers. This leadership transition marks an important step in Recover’s evolution as the company enters its next stage of development.

New Cotton Review examines competitiveness, market risk, and opportunities

From moving record volumes of Brazilian cotton to market, to managing price volatility, unlocking Ethiopia’s production potential, and strengthening African textile trade, the latest edition of Cotton: Review of the World Situation examines some of the most consequential opportunities and challenges facing the global cotton industry.

Long John puts KARL MAYER's RDJ 7/3 into operation and strengthens its position as a market leader

KARL MAYER has just unveiled its new RDJ 7/3 Jacquard Double Needle Bar Raschel Machine in the international trade press, and the innovation is already causing a stir in the market: The Long John Group, a leading manufacturer of performance footwear fabrics and a long-standing partner of renowned brands, was the first customer to invest in the new machine and celebrated its official launch at its Indonesian plant on August 20.

An eco-friendly alternative to fluorocarbon treatments

Protective and outdoor clothing derives its durable water-, dirt- and oil- repellent properties from the application of fluorinated polymers or per- and polyfluorinated low-molecular- weight chemicals (PFCs). The beneficial properties thus achieved on textiles are offset by environmental and human health risks. For manufacturers of sports, medical, protective and automotive textiles, researchers at the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research have developed liquid-applied dispersions and solutions to functionalise textiles without the use of fluorine.