Project description
Bio-based materials for locally manufactured, sustainable and circular clothing
The EU-funded HEREWEAR project will contribute to the creation of the EU market for locally produced circular textiles and clothing made from bio-based resources. Emerging sustainable technologies for wet and melt spinning of cellulose from waste streams and bio-based polyesters will be developed and piloted at a semi-industrial scale. HEREWEAR will also work on yarn and fabric production as well as coating and colouring with bio-based agents. Further, the project aims to significantly reduce the release of microfibres via measures for the textile manufacturing process, and maximise the sustainability and circularity of clothing through connecting regional microfactories. Guidelines and a database will be provided to support the design of fashion goods, with focus on bio-based materials and reuse/recycling. Finally, garment prototypes will demonstrate the HEREWEAR circular bio-based concept.
Objective
HEREWEAR innovates with a holistic, systemic approach towards the creation of an EU market for locally-produced circular textiles and clothing made from bio-based waste. New material solutions will build on the latest bio-based polyesters and cellulose developments. Three novel waste streams (seaweed, manure, straw) will be developed for cellulosic textile fibres. Emerging sustainable technologies for wet and melt spinning, for yarn and fabric making, will be developed and piloted at semi-industrial scale. For finishing innovation, coating and colouring biobased agents will be evolved. Microfibre release will be significantly reduced via measures all along the textile manufacturing process.
Garment prototypes for streetwear and corporate clothing will be produced by connecting up microfactories, organised into regional value creation circles; or by platform-supported, networked production resources. Use phase and end-of-life processing management - repair, re-use, recycle - will be implemented through novel structures. Full transparency will be provided through blockchain-enabled labelling and the configuration of a digital twin, informed with LCA information. A database and guidelines will be produced to support the design of fashion goods; with a focus on the best performance for bio-based materials and for reuse/recycling. Further guidelines will help the industry to take-up these results.
The consortium includes 6 research organisations, 1 LE and 8 SMEs coming from EU and 1 from US. To maximise impact, we will build on the TCBL community (>240 sustainable textile businesses) and use the SOURCEBOOK platform (>25000 organisations). Via these networks, blueprints for the transition to bio-based circular textiles will be shared and implemented. That way HEREWEAR aims to establish a bio-based circular textile clothing market segment of ca. €300 million, thus trying to maintain ca. 1200 textile manufacturing jobs in EU.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineering
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.3.2.4.3. - Supporting market development for bio-based products and processes
- H2020-EU.3.2.4.2. - Developing integrated biorefineries
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
1000 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.