Project description
A greener afterlife for your old clothes
The future of the textiles industry is green and circular. Currently, less than 1 % of textile waste is recycled into new textile fibres. To reverse this trend, the EU will mandate separate collection of discarded textiles by 2025. The EU-funded SCIRT project will develop solutions for the increasing volumes of collected textiles. It will support systemic innovation towards a more circular fashion system and bridge the current supply-demand gap for recycled textile fibres. SCIRT will demonstrate an entire textile-to-textile recycling system for post-consumer textiles, focusing on the recycling of natural and synthetic fibres, as well as fibre blends. SCIRT aims to enable conditions and supporting measures to facilitate this transition, giving special attention to the consumer perspective.
Objective
Given its resource intensity, the European Commission has identified the textiles sector as a priority for the Circular Economy. An important measure is the mandatory separate collection of discarded textiles as of 2025. Finding suitable outlets for these increasing volumes of collected textiles is a challenge. Currently its non-reusable fraction is mostly downcycled or incinerated, less than 1% of textile waste is recycled into new textile fibres. In the meantime, clothing brands set ambitious targets for the use of recycled fibres in their products. Unfortunately their quality and the price tag of current recycling processes are not aligned with market needs/demand. SCIRT aims to support systemic innovation towards a more circular fashion system and bridge this supply-demand gap. Starting from the demand side needs, SCIRT demonstrates an entire textile-to-textile recycling system for post-consumer textiles, focusing on the recycling of natural and synthetic fibres, as well as fibre blends. All relevant players along the value chain are involved, from collector to retailer. By focusing on the recycling of textiles often downcycled today, value retention is improved throughout the value chain. Not only will the business case for individual actors be validated, the overall system implications will be quantified from a financial, environmental and social life-cycle perspective. Besides the technological innovations required, SCIRT addresses enabling conditions and supporting measures facilitating the transition towards a circular system for apparel. A True Cost Model will be developed and an eco-modulated EPR system will be set up, aiming at increased value chain transparency. Special attention is given to the consumer perspective. A consumer behavioural flow intervention will be developed to impact their decision making on the purchase and disposal of textiles. Throughout the project, stakeholder involvement and validation is guaranteed via an advisory board.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
2400 Mol
Belgium
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Participants (18)
48599 Gronau
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8587 Spiere-Helkijn
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
8587 SPIERE-HELKIJN
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8540 Deerlijk
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1180 Wien
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59200 Tourcoing
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10787 BERLIN
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
59650 Villeneuve D Ascq
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64210 Bidart
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
2622KH Delft
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3000 Leuven
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2800 Mechelen
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
10000 Troyes
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1000 BRUSSEL
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75018 Paris
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1040 Wien
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8930 Menen
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
9070 Destelbergen
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