Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SOLSTICE (Innovative 5R SOLutionS for Textile Integrated Circular Economy)
Période du rapport: 2024-05-01 au 2025-10-31
Each year, the global garment industry produces 62 million tonnes of clothing, with consumption expected to surge by 63% by 2030. Textiles rank among the top categories for water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Despite shifting attitudes, consumption remains unsustainable, with 70% of wardrobes underutilized and billions of tonnes discarded annually in landfills or incinerators due to limited recycling technologies.
SOLSTICE is dedicated to addressing these pressing social and technical challenges by creating four scalable systemic solutions aimed at advancing climate-neutral and circular economy practices within the textile industry. Our approach encompasses a comprehensive 5R strategy - Refuse/Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Recycle - to encompass all facets of textile waste prevention and management. SOLSTICE will conduct demonstrations in 4 EU cities and regions. These demonstrations will serve as living laboratories, allowing us to test and refine our innovative 5R approaches in real-world settings.
Key objectives are:
Minimize and transform textile waste into renewable resources for the EU textile industry Information Gaps: SOLSTICE aims to develop a replicable awareness plan for territories, encouraging citizens to shift their shopping behaviour from fast fashion to sobriety, and inform individuals about ways to extend the lifespan of their clothes.
Boost the value of newly collected textile waste through smart sorting: SOLSTICE is developing a pioneering method for sorting textile waste using online spectroscopy analysis which enables precise sorting based on colour, composition, and fabric/garment type. The goal is to refine sorting processes to optimize chemical recycling, which minimises incineration and landfill disposal.
Highlight the reusability of textile polymers, coatings and high-value plastics through chemical recycling: the SOLSTICE project aims to innovate with a new eco and cost-efficient chemical recycling technologies that will be able to process textile and plastic materials that cannot be nowadays recycled under
mild conditions.
Analyse the benefits of better textile collection, sorting, and recycling, facilitating the adoption of solutions across the value chain: SOLSTICE is developing a traceability system based on the Mineral Textile Profile (MTP) that will provide the basis for the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which can improve supply chain traceability and transparency.
Enable the broad implementation of SOLSTICE solutions: SOLSTICE takes a holistic approach by rethinking the entire textile and plastics value chain to ensure scalability and replicability, while aiming to organise new governance for the circular economy. This approach facilitates co-creation among stakeholders, citizens, local authorities, and companies, fostering collaboration with relevant initiatives such as the ECOSYSTEX project.
SOLSTICE is dedicated to addressing these pressing social and technical challenges by creating four scalable systemic solutions aimed at advancing climate-neutral and circular economy practices within the textile industry. Our approach encompasses a comprehensive 5R strategy - Refuse/Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Recycle - to encompass all facets of textile waste prevention and management. SOLSTICE will conduct demonstrations in 4 EU cities and regions. These demonstrations will serve as living laboratories, allowing us to test and refine our innovative 5R approaches in real-world settings.
Key objectives are:
Minimize and transform textile waste into renewable resources for the EU textile industry Information Gaps: SOLSTICE aims to develop a replicable awareness plan for territories, encouraging citizens to shift their shopping behaviour from fast fashion to sobriety, and inform individuals about ways to extend the lifespan of their clothes.
Boost the value of newly collected textile waste through smart sorting: SOLSTICE is developing a pioneering method for sorting textile waste using online spectroscopy analysis which enables precise sorting based on colour, composition, and fabric/garment type. The goal is to refine sorting processes to optimize chemical recycling, which minimises incineration and landfill disposal.
Highlight the reusability of textile polymers, coatings and high-value plastics through chemical recycling: the SOLSTICE project aims to innovate with a new eco and cost-efficient chemical recycling technologies that will be able to process textile and plastic materials that cannot be nowadays recycled under
mild conditions.
Analyse the benefits of better textile collection, sorting, and recycling, facilitating the adoption of solutions across the value chain: SOLSTICE is developing a traceability system based on the Mineral Textile Profile (MTP) that will provide the basis for the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which can improve supply chain traceability and transparency.
Enable the broad implementation of SOLSTICE solutions: SOLSTICE takes a holistic approach by rethinking the entire textile and plastics value chain to ensure scalability and replicability, while aiming to organise new governance for the circular economy. This approach facilitates co-creation among stakeholders, citizens, local authorities, and companies, fostering collaboration with relevant initiatives such as the ECOSYSTEX project.
Partners conducted an analysis of the current state of the 4 territories and the existing textiles ecosystems to identify the area for intermediate actions producing a regional profile for supporting the design of actions to be implemented in each region. The four territory profiles have been published.
Each region with the support of local stakeholders participating in design workshops has defined the pilot to be implemented to make textiles flow more circular and responsible at their scale.
Prato is developing a mobile application for consumer behavior change. It is designed to help citizens adopt more sustainable clothing habits. The app offers interactive content, a digital map of local reuse and recycling points, community sharing features, and a gamification system that rewards positive actions with discounts, experiences, or charitable donations. The app was developed with the support of stakeholders during a series of workshops and was officially launched on 7 November 2025.
Berlin focuses on the implementation of a denim repair bonus officially launched in September 2025. Pop up events are organized with free denim repair stations and repair workshops.
Grenoble will develop a third place to propose innovative, practical and centralized 4R sales and services offers with the aim of bringing drastic positive change in behavior consumption
Catalonia started first by analyzing 3 projects to identify the best practices and taking advantage of their recommendations.
The approach that will be developed is to test first a set of textile prevention and reuse strategies combining repair, swapping and educational activities in a public space targeting young people.
Various Detection systems based on automated sorted technologies and the use of dedicated algorithms, sofwares and statistical tools were developed and/or refined in order to classify textiles depending on their composition and color. This step is needed to achieve high-value recycled fiber for WP5 Partners.
Also, four chemical recycling technologies are developed for PET, PA, EL and PU.
• PET: The Recyc’Elit process is scaled from proof of concept to pilot level, confirming its potential for transforming PET/co-fiber waste into high-quality recycled materials.
• PA: Ionic liquid-based recycling demonstrated stable processing and fiber properties comparable to virgin quality, supporting upcycling from staple to filament fibers.
• EL: Closed-loop solvent systems enabled elastane removal and recovery of PET and PA for insulation panels and yarns, while elastane was repurposed in coatings and polymer blends.
• PU: Glycolysis-based recycling was optimized to produce fractions suitable for new polymer synthesis, with ongoing work on filtration and catalyst reduction.
Each region with the support of local stakeholders participating in design workshops has defined the pilot to be implemented to make textiles flow more circular and responsible at their scale.
Prato is developing a mobile application for consumer behavior change. It is designed to help citizens adopt more sustainable clothing habits. The app offers interactive content, a digital map of local reuse and recycling points, community sharing features, and a gamification system that rewards positive actions with discounts, experiences, or charitable donations. The app was developed with the support of stakeholders during a series of workshops and was officially launched on 7 November 2025.
Berlin focuses on the implementation of a denim repair bonus officially launched in September 2025. Pop up events are organized with free denim repair stations and repair workshops.
Grenoble will develop a third place to propose innovative, practical and centralized 4R sales and services offers with the aim of bringing drastic positive change in behavior consumption
Catalonia started first by analyzing 3 projects to identify the best practices and taking advantage of their recommendations.
The approach that will be developed is to test first a set of textile prevention and reuse strategies combining repair, swapping and educational activities in a public space targeting young people.
Various Detection systems based on automated sorted technologies and the use of dedicated algorithms, sofwares and statistical tools were developed and/or refined in order to classify textiles depending on their composition and color. This step is needed to achieve high-value recycled fiber for WP5 Partners.
Also, four chemical recycling technologies are developed for PET, PA, EL and PU.
• PET: The Recyc’Elit process is scaled from proof of concept to pilot level, confirming its potential for transforming PET/co-fiber waste into high-quality recycled materials.
• PA: Ionic liquid-based recycling demonstrated stable processing and fiber properties comparable to virgin quality, supporting upcycling from staple to filament fibers.
• EL: Closed-loop solvent systems enabled elastane removal and recovery of PET and PA for insulation panels and yarns, while elastane was repurposed in coatings and polymer blends.
• PU: Glycolysis-based recycling was optimized to produce fractions suitable for new polymer synthesis, with ongoing work on filtration and catalyst reduction.
An advanced decision-tool (called Valoramix) tailored for sorting, material-preparation and recycling professionals was developed. Designed to optimize material flows and valorisation pathways, the platform places economic simulation at the centre of every decision. It offers a powerful and innovative way to enhance textile recovery and accelerate the shift toward a more circular industry. Platform’s features are further enhanced with a poll of pilot users.
The basis for ensuring the traceability of products by coding the mineral profile of polymer, that can serve as internal signature of the process using the Mineral Textile Profile technique, has been established. An analytical method combined with a robust statistical analysis was developed that enables the precise determination of concentration of over 40 mineral elements as well as the source of the textile. Today the database comprises 500 distinct textiles with their mineral profile. The MTP is expected to constitute a key component of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) for textiles.
The basis for ensuring the traceability of products by coding the mineral profile of polymer, that can serve as internal signature of the process using the Mineral Textile Profile technique, has been established. An analytical method combined with a robust statistical analysis was developed that enables the precise determination of concentration of over 40 mineral elements as well as the source of the textile. Today the database comprises 500 distinct textiles with their mineral profile. The MTP is expected to constitute a key component of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) for textiles.