Periodic Reporting for period 2 - T-REX (Textile Recycling EXcellence)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-06-01 bis 2025-05-31
Across a three-year period, the T-REX Project collected and sorted household textile waste and demonstrated the full recycling process of polyester, polyamide 6, and cellulosic materials from textile waste into new garments. Simultaneously, the Project aimed to demonstrate sustainable and economically feasible business models for each actor along the value chain, conducted lifecycle analysis of the circular process, integrated digital tools that streamline the process of closed loop textile recycling, and produced circular design guidelines. The T-REX Project published a blueprint which included reports, white papers and guidelines. Some of the learnings from the project are: on technical scalability, sorting efficiency is currently low. Manual sorting, which is still the primary method, remains inefficient and costly. Automation could improve the quality and purity of feedstock available for recyclers. Pre-processing is a critical step in the recycling value chain, with direct impact on the recyclability and quality of the final product. From the LCA, textile recycling has strong potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with fiber production. However, the magnitude of these benefits depends heavily on both the type of material being recycled and the specific recycling technology used. One of the main contributors to environmental impact typically arises from the most energy-intensive stages of the process. This highlights the importance of improving energy efficiency and sourcing low-impact energy. On the design side, the T-REX project delivered a technical guidance for T2T Recyclability based on the 3 technologies participating in the project. Tests were done to validate materials that can be accepted from these recyclers. From the citizens engagement area, we learned that there is need for ongoing support, accessible resources, and follow-up opportunities. Finally, some learnings on data are to further standardize an interoperable data model within the textile recycling value chain that supports the involved economic stakeholder in their activities. Develop a data system in the textile recycling value chain that aligns the data captured by the data model with material flows in the real world. Improve Primary Data Collection. It is recommended that provisions exist within the stakeholder ecosystem to encourage the sharing of necessary datapoints to collaboratively advance the industry.
The pre-processing as well as the chemical recycling of Polyester and Polyamide 6 were executed. At the end of the project it was possible to have materials that could be spun for cotton, polyamide 6 and polyester. The materials were also analysed by the university FAU and results were in general positive. There is potential to improve results on the demonstrators but time was limited.
For the pre-processing it is important to recognise it as a critical step in the recycling value chain, with direct impact on the recyclability and quality of the final product. To improve feedstock consistency and purity, further mechanical and chemical pre-processing steps are required.
Specific learnings on the chemical recycling were to further standardise an interoperable data model within the textile recycling value chain that supports the involved economic stakeholder in their activities
Develop a data system in the textile recycling value chain that aligns the data captured by the data model with material flows in the real world. Improve Primary Data Collection. It is recommended that provisions exist within the stakeholder ecosystem to encourage the sharing of necessary datapoints to collaboratively advance the industry.
While the market potential for textile-to-textile recycling in Europe is clear, realising a viable business case remains challenging due to two interconnected barriers: limited access to quality feedstock, and a lack of infrastructure at scale. Feedstock is limited and expensive: Despite the abundance of textile waste, recyclers face both scarcity and high costs of feedstock. There is insufficient post-consumer material suitable for recycling available, due to low collection rates in most EU member states and lack of incentive for sorters to provide feedstock quality needed for recycling. What exists often lacks the specifications needed for most current recycling technologies.
Current inefficiencies in sorting and preprocessing result in high material losses, driving up overall OPEX.
Textile recycling has strong potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with fibre production. However, the magnitude of these benefits depends heavily on both the type of material being recycled and the specific recycling technology used.
For the pre-processing it is important to recognise it as a critical step in the recycling value chain, with direct impact on the recyclability and quality of the final product. To improve feedstock consistency and purity, further mechanical and chemical pre-processing steps are required.
Specific learnings on the chemical recycling were to further standardise an interoperable data model within the textile recycling value chain that supports the involved economic stakeholder in their activities
Develop a data system in the textile recycling value chain that aligns the data captured by the data model with material flows in the real world. Improve Primary Data Collection. It is recommended that provisions exist within the stakeholder ecosystem to encourage the sharing of necessary datapoints to collaboratively advance the industry.
While the market potential for textile-to-textile recycling in Europe is clear, realising a viable business case remains challenging due to two interconnected barriers: limited access to quality feedstock, and a lack of infrastructure at scale. Feedstock is limited and expensive: Despite the abundance of textile waste, recyclers face both scarcity and high costs of feedstock. There is insufficient post-consumer material suitable for recycling available, due to low collection rates in most EU member states and lack of incentive for sorters to provide feedstock quality needed for recycling. What exists often lacks the specifications needed for most current recycling technologies.
Current inefficiencies in sorting and preprocessing result in high material losses, driving up overall OPEX.
Textile recycling has strong potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with fibre production. However, the magnitude of these benefits depends heavily on both the type of material being recycled and the specific recycling technology used.
Future research efforts should prioritise more granular and standardised data collection across the T2T recycling value chain. This includes the development of harmonised, EU-wide systems to systematically track the volumes, material composition,
and quality of post-consumer textile waste, as well as quantifying material losses. Such transparency is essential to inform infrastructure planning, refine techno-economic models, and ensure alignment between feedstock availability and recycling capacity. In parallel, further investigation is required to assess the technical efficacy and cost-performance of advanced pre-processing technologies across various fibre types and contamination profiles. Understanding the compatibility of different feedstock conditions with emerging recycling technologies will be critical to optimising process yields, reducing input variability, and enhancing the overall economic viability of T2T recycling systems at scale.
The T-REX Project, through its Blueprint, provides a comprehensive foundation for the challenges and opportunities of scaling T2T recycling. Success requires leveraging these integrated insights through strategies targeting demand, cost, and capital. This involves not only technological innovation and adherence to design best practices, as detailed in the TEA and T-REX Technical Guidance, but also robust policy frameworks like ESPR, substantial investment, and strong industry collaboration. This could make T2T recycled materials an environmentally sound and economically viable cornerstone of a circular textile economy.
and quality of post-consumer textile waste, as well as quantifying material losses. Such transparency is essential to inform infrastructure planning, refine techno-economic models, and ensure alignment between feedstock availability and recycling capacity. In parallel, further investigation is required to assess the technical efficacy and cost-performance of advanced pre-processing technologies across various fibre types and contamination profiles. Understanding the compatibility of different feedstock conditions with emerging recycling technologies will be critical to optimising process yields, reducing input variability, and enhancing the overall economic viability of T2T recycling systems at scale.
The T-REX Project, through its Blueprint, provides a comprehensive foundation for the challenges and opportunities of scaling T2T recycling. Success requires leveraging these integrated insights through strategies targeting demand, cost, and capital. This involves not only technological innovation and adherence to design best practices, as detailed in the TEA and T-REX Technical Guidance, but also robust policy frameworks like ESPR, substantial investment, and strong industry collaboration. This could make T2T recycled materials an environmentally sound and economically viable cornerstone of a circular textile economy.