CirTex Projects

The NuCollect project team is developing an innovative system for collecting and sorting used textiles that actively involves citizens. In Germany, consumption and waste volumes of clothing and home textiles are rising sharply, while current recycling practices consist primarily of downcycling. As a result, more than 500,000 metric tons of textiles are lost annually that could be put to higher-value use. To conserve resources, the researchers at NuCollect aim to strengthen reuse and recycling streams and increase the recycling rate. This will lay the foundation for a steady supply of secondary raw materials. Efficient pre-sorting by consumers can make a decisive contribution here.

Whether it’s sportswear, casual wear, or medical textiles: nothing works in the textile industry without elasticity. But the elastane fibers most commonly used for this purpose are virtually impossible to recycle—they are difficult to separate from other fibers in blended textiles. The RElastan project team is developing elastic yarns and textiles based on thermoplastic copolyester elastomers (TPC). These offer the same stretch as conventional elastane but can be melt-spun and later recycled thermomechanically—and are also compatible with common polyesters such as PET, which makes it easier to process them in existing recycling facilities. As a result, they could serve as an alternative to the elastanes commonly used today. This is an important step toward truly circular solutions in the textile industry.

The TexWi project (Effective Knowledge Transfer on Sustainable Textiles & the Circular Economy) explores and tests innovative ways to effectively convey knowledge about sustainable textile production, textile use, and other consumption models to various target groups. The starting point is the challenge that existing knowledge about the environmental and social impacts of the textile industry has so far had only a limited effect on changing behavior. TexWi addresses this issue directly and examines new educational and communication formats designed to improve this transfer of knowledge.

Alternatives to buying new—such as renting, repairing, upcycling, and clothing swaps—do exist, but they are fragmented and barely visible in everyday life. Yet a survey by Fashion Revolution Germany e.V. shows that one in five people in Germany would use reuse services regularly if they had easier access and guidance. This is where the team behind the FRITA project (Fashion Revolution Map—Digital Infrastructure for Circular Textile Consumption Services) comes in. Based on empirical research, the “Fashion Revolution Map” is being developed—a digital platform that highlights, aggregates, and connects circular textile consumption options in Germany. In this way, FRITA helps reduce new purchases and put the EU Textile Strategy into practice.

Today, most end-of-life cabin textiles end up in thermal recycling. The TEXTILE AIR LOOP project team is developing and validating—for the first time—a closed-loop system for wool aircraft seat textiles: from collection and recycling to integration into new cabin products. The team is focusing on “Design for Recycling,” developing recyclable seat fabric concepts, and scientifically evaluating material properties—particularly with regard to criteria such as flame resistance and recyclability. Digital material passports also provide transparency regarding material origin and recyclability. The goal is to demonstrate technical feasibility as a basis for future industry standards in the field of “Circular Aviation Interiors”—with the potential for application in rail, bus, and maritime sectors.