#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-10-24

First tests for pilot plant for chemical recycling of textiles successful

Ence and the Swedish start-up ShareTex have successfully conducted the first tests of textile chemical recycling through an innovative technology that does not require high pressure, temperature, nor does it use toxic solvents.

This technology will be verified in the pilot plant that Ence and ShareTex are going to launch in the town of As Pontes in A Coruña and will allow the manufacture of recycled textile fibres.

Within the framework of these tests, a process has been addressed that makes it possible to recover a wider range of products than traditional mechanical recycling, including those whose composition presents a mixture of components (as is the case in most textile products), integrating them back into the textile value chain or into high added value products.

The start-up of the pilot textile waste recycling plant in As Pontes is a strategic project for Ence, as it is in line with the company’s commitment to minimising the use of natural resources, as well as a key project in ShareTex’s strategy to commercialise its technology.

Likewise, the Consorcio Galego para a Reciclaxe Química de Téxtiles Posconsumo (Galician Consortium for the Chemical Recycling of Post-consumer Textiles) is being set up with the main objective of promoting research activity in the field of sustainable recycling technology in Galicia.

This institution is made up of, among others, the Swedish startup ShareTex, Ence, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies of the University of Santiago de Compostela (CRETUS), the EQ2 group of the University of Vigo, the University of La Coruña, CETIM Technological Centre, AIMEN Technological Centre and the textile recycling companies Insertega and Coleo.

Ence in As Pontes

Ence will carry out an investment of up to 355 million in the implementation of the three phases of its overall project in As Pontes, a project that will generate about 1,250 jobs.

With regard to these phases, the first will involve the implementation of a recovered fibre plant which includes the pilot plant for the recovery of textile fibres, the second includes a cogeneration plant of 150 MW of thermal power and about 50 MW of electrical power and the third, a tissue plant.

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

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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.

Naia™ from Eastman strengthens western hemisphere textile connections at Apparel Sourcing Show Guatemala

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Dornbirn GFC 2026 expands conference program with new thematic sessions

For 65 years, Dornbirn GFC has stood for innovation and is one of the world’s leading conferences in the fiber industry. From September 16 to 18, 2026, the international fiber community will meet in Dornbirn, Austria, to discuss current trends, technological developments, and forward-looking solutions. More than 600 experts from industry and academia from over 30 countries are expected to attend. With around 100 presentations by renowned speakers, a 2,5-day conference program, and three parallel presentation rooms with moderated sessions, Dornbirn GFC provides a first-class platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and international collaboration. Together, participants will generate ideas and impulses that will sustainably shape the future of the global fiber industry.

Europe is committed to recycling end-of-life wind turbine blades

Starting in 2026, Europe’s wind energy industry has committed itself to ensuring that wind turbine blades do not end up in landfills once they reach the end of their service life. The EU-funded research project REWIND is exploring ways to reuse this composite waste. The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are one of 13 project partners from seven countries.

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.