Creating a circular system for post-consumer textile waste

T-REX Project brings together 12 major players from across the entire value chain to create a harmonised EU blueprint and business opportunities for closed loop sorting, and recycling of household textile waste. Transforming end-of-use textiles, from waste, into a desired feedstock, and a commodity for new business models that can be adopted at scale.

The challenges

Today, 2% of postconsumer textiles (in Europe) are diverted to fibre-to-fibre recycling. Creating a circular system for post-consumer textile waste currently faces many challenges, including a lack of standards for collecting and sorting textile waste across countries, inaccurate composition claims, uneven quality of materials, and a lack of reliable data across value chain stakeholders

Latest news

Follow T-REX Project’s progress and dive into the learnings.

  • Collaboration
27 September

T-REX Project consortium meets in the Netherlands

In September, our consortium gathered at the Fashion for Good headquarters in Amsterdam to plan the next steps in the project and share insights and learnings so far. Complete with a site visit to CuRe Technology in Emmen, these few days were very fruitful for T-REX Project, stay tuned for exciting updates!
  • Scientific paper
  • Conference
26 September

Incorporating social LCA in circularity metrics to avoid the unintended consequences of circular economy

What are the social risks of circular economy transitions in various industries, and what role does social lifecycle assessment play in evaluating these risks? At the 5th PLATE conference this year, Anubhuti Bhatnagar and Kirsi Niinimäki from Aalto University shared suggestions for incorporating social LCA in circularity metrics to avoid the unintended consequences of circular economy.

Project participants

12 major players from across the entire value chain collaborate towards demonstrating a potential scalable solution for textile-to-textile recycling.

The organisations will establish transformational synergies between the waste management practices of Veolia, leading the post-consumer textile waste collection, sorting and division, and the feedstock needs of the respective textile recycling technologies of Infinited Fiber Company, BASF, and CuRe.

The recycled fibres will be converted to yarn by European manufacturers Linz Textil and TWD Fibers, from which adidas will create demonstration products with end of life in mind.

FAU will support the project with analytical expertise to maximise the conversion of multi-fibre textile waste into recycled fibre, and Aalto University will conduct citizens’ engagement activities to raise awareness of textile recycling practices, and analyse social impact.

Fashion for Good will lead industry communications, and conduct business viability and digital integration activities, supported by Quantis and Arapaha who will collect and analyse data from across the value chain for sustainability assessments and digital solution recommendations.

  • University
  • Brand
  • Innovator
  • Polyamide Producer
  • Polyester Recycler
  • Innovation Consultancy
  • University
  • Cellulosics Recycler
  • Fibre Spinner
  • Consultancy
  • Fibres Company
  • Waste Management Company