Describe your role at Linz Textil.

My role is CEO of Linz Textil Group, and I am also director of the spinning division. 

Can you explain your participation in the T-REX Project?

Our task in the T-REX Project is the spinning of recycled cellulosic fibres.   We produce yarns with recycled content for further processing. First, we blend the recycled fibres with virgin cotton, and then we spin these blended fibres into yarns. 

What do you think is the biggest challenge the T-REX Project will need to overcome?

Technically we have overcome many hurdles already, and I am convinced that we can solve all open issues. The biggest challenge ahead is convincing the customer to walk the talk and pick the product with recycled content off the shelf. 

What is the biggest opportunity to unlock within textile-to-textile recycling?

There are two opportunities. First and foremost, reducing a wide range of negative impacts the textile industry has on the environment. Secondly, believe it or not, if our industry continues to grow at the pace of the past decade, we will be running short of natural fibres soon. The only way to overcome this is moving from linear to circular manufacturing. 

Future outlook: How do you envision the textile value chain in 2050?

I strongly feel that with technological progress both in manufacturing as well as digitalization we will lead towards production that is based on actual demand and highly customised to individual size and taste of consumers. This will trigger both a more decentralised, as well as a more local textile production.