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IRIS: A Prism for Safe and Sustainable Colouration of Cellulosics

Objective

IRIS transforms cellulosic textile colouration by replacing hazardous dyeing and printing with Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) biobased alternatives and circular end-of-life routes. Using a Multi-Actor Approach, an industry-oriented consortium co-creates solutions compatible with existing lines, accelerating deployment while minimising CAPEX. IRIS directly addresses JU-CBE-2025-IA-02 by targeting the highest-impact stages of textile wet processing, substituting substances of concern (e.g. aniline, potentially skin-sensitising reactive azo dyes, PVC plastisols) and scaling to TRL 6–7: (i) biobased indigo; (ii) microbial colourants from CO2; (iii) SSbD encapsulation to stabilise heat/light-sensitive bio-pigments; (iv) reductant-free enzymatic denim dyeing; (v) Lyocell dope-dyeing that replaces chemically intensive wet dyeing; and (vi) PVC-free biobased screen-printing with on-demand de-printing. All routes are drop-in or light-retrofit and will be validated against relevant standards and OEKO-TEX® requirements. Circular protocols (colour-stripping, removable prints, fibre-to-fibre recycling) complete the value chain. All innovations underwent ex-ante life cycle assessment during proposal development and will the upscaling process will be fully SSbD-assessed during the project. Expected outcomes include substantial reductions in water, energy and Global Warming Potential (GWP) per kg of coloured fabric, elimination/substitution of hazardous inputs, cleaner effluents, and >80% recyclability for selected flows. IRIS delivers brand- and recycler-ready acceptance TRL 6-7 innovations, business cases and policy briefs to enable rapid uptake, contributing to the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, Zero Pollution, and the Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles by proving market-ready, evidence-based biobased colouration that improves worker and consumer safety while unlocking circular, low-carbon growth.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-JU-IA - HORIZON JU Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-CBE-2025

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Coordinator

RISE RESEARCH INSTITUTES OF SWEDEN AB
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 059 711,75
Address
BRINELLGATAN 4
501 15 Boras
Sweden

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Region
Södra Sverige Västsverige Västra Götalands län
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 059 711,75

Participants (17)

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