#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-02-08

Closing the loop: Touchpoint launches new workwear fabric ReTouch

Touchpoint, a pioneer in sustainable workwear solutions, launches a new workwear material made from textile processing company Rester’s recycled fiber. The recycled fibers are processed from end-of-life workwear. This is an important step towards a closed-loop recycling of textiles and more sustainable business models.

The long-term development work of two pioneers in the textile industry has resulted in ReTouch – a new cotton/polyester fabric for demanding workwear applications.What makes ReTouch so special is that it contains over 10 % recycled fiber from recovered sheets and workwear and it meets the requirements of a workwear fabric in terms of quality and durability. The recycled content in the fabric reduces its carbon footprint with almost 10 % lower emissions compared to a similar fabric made entirely from virgin raw materials.

Product development of this workwear fabric started already in 2021, with the aim of proving that mechanically processed recycled fibers are suitable for workwear materials.

”At Touchpoint, we are excited that our ReTouch fabric meets the quality requirements of a workwear fabric and that it is suitable for industrial laundering,” says Noora Salonoja, CEO of Touchpoint. ”We can now offer more sustainable solutions to our broad customer base from the service sector to the care industry.”

”The long-term product development in co-operation with various stakeholders is a proof that the end-of-life textile collection, sorting and mechanical recycling has value in the textile circular economy ecosystem. We already have the opportunity to accelerate the transformation of the textile sector and set new standards for textiles”, says Anna-Kaisa Huttunen, the director of partnerships at Rester.

Recovering textile fibers is not only a solution to the growing textile waste problem, but it also reduces the need of virgin raw materials from Asia and reduce emissions from textile production, water -and energy consumption. Textile fiber production has doubled in the last 20 years (Textile Exchange 2022) and the textile sector is a major contributor to climate emissions: the production of one tonne of textiles generates around 15-35 tonnes of CO2e (EEA 2023a). Europe generates around 7.5 million tonnes of textile waste per year, of which about one third is collected and only 1% is successfully recycled into fiber. Of the 90 million kilos of textile waste generated annually in Finland, around 80 % ends up as raw material for energy production (Gaia, STJM 2020). The need for more sustainable approaches in the textile sector is obvious.

The next goal for Touchpoint and Rester is to expand the use of recycled fibers in other workwear fabrics and to gradually increase the share of recycled content in fabrics. ReTouch fabric has already been tested in the product development phase by workwear rental company Lindström, which is interested in adding the material to its range of fabrics.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Managed workwear services are providing a blueprint for the circular textile economy

Managed workwear service providers are demonstrating how commercial success and circularity can go hand in hand by extending garment lifespans through repair, laundering, reuse and recycling, according to “Managed workwear services—a circular textile economy ahead of the game”, a new 14‑page report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence.

Eco-design as the foundation of circular textiles

Based on the results of an extensive European analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is currently developing three practice-based training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. This was preceded by a comprehensive company survey and a joint analysis conducted by the project partners under the leadership of IVGT. The results show that the greatest challenges lie not so much in a lack of technology as in skills gaps.

Usha Yarns secures growth equity investment from Fullerton Carbon Action Fund

Usha Yarns Limited (“Usha Yarns”), a producer of high-quality recycled yarns with advanced, well established production processes, announced a growth equity investment from the Fullerton Carbon Action Fund (“Fullerton”), a private equity strategy managed by Fullerton Fund Management that backs established mid-market companies across Emerging Asia to accelerate decarbonisation.

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.