Textination Newsline

For many years researchers from Nordic countries have worked for making textile industry more sustainable. Now there are prototypes of cotton which can clean itself and of textiles which are created of invasive lupines.  

How could future clothes and textiles become more ecofriendly, smart and sustainable? A research group from Nordic countries has tried to figure out this for many years and in October the prototypes they have made were presented in an exhibition in Turku.

A doctoral researcher Alicja Lawrynowicz from Faculty of Technology at the University of Turku has been developing two different smart textiles. In one of the projects researchers have created a cotton fabric which can clean itself without water.

This is possible because the fabric has been treated with mineral called zinc oxide.
 
The mineral forms a self-cleaning layer and stains on the fabric disappear when they are exposed to the daylight, in other words ultraviolet light. If stains disappear by themselves, it reduces the need of washing and garment burdens nature less.

Here you can see how the stains gradually disappear on the white cotton fabric that has been treated with zinc oxide.

In the other textile project, researchers have managed to develop non-toxic textile print which changes its colour when it is subjected to sunlight. Mineral hackmanite, which reacts to ultraviolet radiation, is used here. The mineral does not originate from mines but is created in a laboratory in Turku.

For first time ever, hackmanite is now used in textile prints. The mineral works as an ultraviolet censor and changes its colour when you have been too long time in the sun and must protect yourself. It can reduce the risk for the damage of the sun, says Alicja Lawrynowicz.

Material out to the market
Prototypes which now have been retrieved are not yet available in larger scale. So, what is going to happen with all discoveries?
The idea is that they are not going to stay in the laboratory. We hope that in the future our innovations will be used in industry, says Lawrynowicz.

The research is multidisciplinary, which means that there has been cooperation between different research groups. Research goes on also in other Nordic countries.  

Lupine can become textiles
In Denmark one research group has invested in ecofriendly colouring and created dyes out of big amounts of waste from local restaurants, among others avocado and onion peels. Avocado peels give textiles a beautiful yellow colour and onion creates brown nuances. In future these colours could replace traditional, toxic dyes.

At the same time researchers in Aalto University have produced textiles out of lupine, which is an invasive species in Finland.

Until now we have been removing lupines out of ditches and seeing it as a problem, but here researchers have created fibers and been able to weave a cloth out of it, says research coordinator Helen Salminen from the field of material science at the University of Turku.

Within the framework of the project researchers in Sweden have in turn worked on developing alternatives to plastic fibers (elastane) which are often used in jeans fabric for making fabric more elastic.

Cotton which contains a few percent of plastic fibers is difficult to recycle. This makes it difficult to use the fabric as a raw material for further processes. For that reason, it is important to find new ways to weave fabric so that fabric can be recycled and can be elastic without plastic fibers, says Alicja Lawrynowicz.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a patch for easier and more effective treatment of psoriasis. The method may also be used in treatment of other inflammatory skin diseases.

4-5 per cent of the Danish population has psoriasis, which is one of the most common skin conditions in the world. The inflammatory disease is characterised by a red rash with white scales, which may vary in form, size and severity.

Today, there are several treatment options for psoriasis patients. Creams and ointments are among the most common. The problem is that the cream must be applied several times a day and leaves the skin feeling greasy, and therefore, some patients often fail to use it consistently, which is vital for treatment success.

Now researchers at the University of Copenhagen have produced a prototype for a patch that may help solve this problem for patients with smaller demarcated areas of plaque psoriasis.

“We have developed a dry patch, which contains active ingredients for treatment of psoriasis, and which reduces the frequency of use to once a day. It has the potential to make treatment more comfortable for plaque psoriasis patients,” says Associate Professor Andrea Heinz from the Department of Pharmacy, who is the corresponding author on a series of articles exploring the patch’s ability to treat plaque psoriasis.

One patch serving several functions
The patch is designed to contain two active ingredients at once and release them onto the skin at different rates.

“It is really clever, because treatment of psoriasis often requires more than one product. The two ingredients are released in a controlled manner and at different rates, as they serve different functions: Salicylic acid is released immediately to remove the dead cells that have accumulated on the skin, while hydrocortisone decreases inflammation of the skin – a process that takes more time,” says first author of the studies Anna-Lena Gürtler and adds:

“We have tested the prototype on pig skin and human skin cells and compared the results to the creams and ointments available at pharmacies, and our studies show that the patch is just as effective as standard treatments.”

Potential to treat other conditions
The researchers used electrospinning to produce the patch – a method where high voltage is applied to a polymer solution to produce synthetic nanofibers. The fibres are then used to make a fibre mat that may be attached to the skin like a plaster.

The researchers are still working on the patch. More research, product development and clinical trials are needed before the method is ready for use. According to Andrea Heinz, though, it has great potential that extends beyond psoriasis treatment:

“A patch containing active ingredients may be an alternative to creams and ointments in the treatment of other inflammatory skin diseases, for instance atopic eczema. It may also be useful in connection with wound healing.”

Membranes based on natural silk and cellulose can remove many contaminants, including “forever chemicals” and heavy metals.

Water contamination by the chemicals used in today’s technology is a rapidly growing problem globally. A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that 98 percent of people tested had detectable levels of PFAS, a family of particularly long-lasting compounds also known as “forever chemicals,” in their bloodstream.

A new filtration material developed by researchers at MIT might provide a nature-based solution to this stubborn contamination issue. The material, based on natural silk and cellulose, can remove a wide variety of these persistent chemicals as well as heavy metals. And, its antimicrobial properties can help keep the filters from fouling.

The findings are described in the journal ACS Nano, in a paper by MIT postdoc Yilin Zhang, professor of civil and environmental engineering Benedetto Marelli, and four others from MIT.

PFAS chemicals are present in a wide range of products, including cosmetics, food packaging, water-resistant clothing, firefighting foams, and antistick coating for cookware. A recent study identified 57,000 sites contaminated by these chemicals in the U.S. alone. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that PFAS remediation will cost $1.5 billion per year, in order to meet new regulations that call for limiting the compound to less than 7 parts per trillion in drinking water.

Contamination by PFAS and similar compounds “is actually a very big deal, and current solutions may only partially resolve this problem very efficiently or economically,” Zhang says. “That’s why we came up with this protein and cellulose-based, fully natural solution,” he says.

“We came to the project by chance,” Marelli notes. The initial technology that made the filtration material possible was developed by his group for a completely unrelated purpose — as a way to make a labelling system to counter the spread of counterfeit seeds, which are often of inferior quality. His team devised a way of processing silk proteins into uniform nanoscale crystals, or “nanofibrils,” through an environmentally benign, water-based drop-casting method at room temperature.

Zhang suggested that their new nanofibrillar material might be effective at filtering contaminants, but initial attempts with the silk nanofibrils alone didn’t work. The team decided to try adding another material: cellulose, which is abundantly available and can be obtained from agricultural wood pulp waste. The researchers used a self-assembly method in which the silk fibroin protein is suspended in water and then templated into nanofibrils by inserting “seeds” of cellulose nanocrystals. This causes the previously disordered silk molecules to line up together along the seeds, forming the basis of a hybrid material with distinct new properties.

By integrating cellulose into the silk-based fibrils that could be formed into a thin membrane, and then tuning the electrical charge of the cellulose, the researchers produced a material that was highly effective at removing contaminants in lab tests.

The electrical charge of the cellulose, they found, also gave it strong antimicrobial properties. This is a significant advantage, since one of the primary causes of failure in filtration membranes is fouling by bacteria and fungi. The antimicrobial properties of this material should greatly reduce that fouling issue, the researchers say.

“These materials can really compete with the current standard materials in water filtration when it comes to extracting metal ions and these emerging contaminants, and they can also outperform some of them currently,” Marelli says. In lab tests, the materials were able to extract orders of magnitude more of the contaminants from water than the currently used standard materials, activated carbon or granular activated carbon.

While the new work serves as a proof of principle, Marelli says, the team plans to continue working on improving the material, especially in terms of durability and availability of source materials. While the silk proteins used can be available as a byproduct of the silk textile industry, if this material were to be scaled up to address the global needs for water filtration, the supply might be insufficient. Also, alternative protein materials may turn out to perform the same function at lower cost.

Initially, the material would likely be used as a point-of-use filter, something that could be attached to a kitchen faucet, Zhang says. Eventually, it could be scaled up to provide filtration for municipal water supplies, but only after testing demonstrates that this would not pose any risk of introducing any contamination into the water supply. But one big advantage of the material, he says, is that both the silk and the cellulose constituents are considered food-grade substances, so any contamination is unlikely.

“Most of the normal materials available today are focusing on one class of contaminants or solving single problems,” Zhang says. “I think we are among the first to address all of these simultaneously.”

“What I love about this approach is that it is using only naturally grown materials like silk and cellulose to fight pollution,” says Hannes Schniepp, professor of applied science at the College of William and Mary, who was not associated with this work. “In competing approaches, synthetic materials are used — which usually require only more chemistry to fight some of the adverse outcomes that chemistry has produced. [This work] breaks this cycle! ... If this can be mass-produced in an economically viable way, this could really have a major impact.”

The research team included MIT postdocs Hui Sun and Meng Li, graduate student Maxwell Kalinowski, and recent graduate Yunteng Cao PhD ’22, now a postdoc at Yale University. The work was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.

Making bags for transporting fresh water by sea: Tarpaulins are large sheets of strong, flexible, water-resistant material used for protection from extreme conditions. The most common material used to make them is PVC-coated polyester, which is characterized by its low price and good resistance. However, recycling these products represents a major challenge because there are no large-scale commercial solutions for tarpaulin recycling. Companies have been trying for decades to replace PVC-coated fabrics with a polymer that is more recyclable. Although some alternatives are available, they are generally too costly to compete with PVC-coated fabrics and do not fully address stringent safety and recyclability requirements.
 
The European TARPAULIFE Project aims to demonstrate the possibility of manufacturing large-area polyolefin coated fabrics such as polyethylene and polypropylene that can compete in terms of cost with PVC-coated fabrics while maintaining their properties of strength, flexibility, impermeability and lower environmental impact. This new material will be used to manufacture bags for transporting fresh water by sea, although this innovative, more sustainable and recyclable fabric can also be applied to other products, such as tarpaulins commonly used in lorries and coverings.

Rina Consulting is coordinating this project co-financed by the European LIFE Programme with the participation of the companies Ziplast, Nowa and Giovanardi, and AIMPLAS.

The main result of the project will be a production facility of three-metre-wide polyolefin-coated fabrics with a production capacity of 250,000 m²/year one year after termination of the project, which started in May 2024 and will last for two years. The main application selected is water bags, which represent an innovative way of transporting large amounts of fresh water by sea, as opposed to the usual forms of transport in tankers.

Solving water supply problems in a sustainable way
This technology was developed mainly to transport water from high-production areas that are relatively close to areas with supply problems due to episodes of drought, seasonal increases in demand due to tourism and even to respond to emergency situations. This initiative has already resulted in the REFRESH and XXL-REFRESH Projects financed by the European Commission, in which AIMPLAS, RINA and Ziplast participated, and which successfully tested a floating water bag with a modular design and a zip connection. The aim of the TARPAULIFE Project is to go one step further with the coating material of these polyester bags and replace PVC with polyolefins so they are more sustainable and easier to recycle.
 
As demonstrators of the project, two 2,500 m³ water bags will therefore be made with the new material for testing in two locations in Europe. Demonstration of the water bag will provide a backup freshwater reservoir in the North Sea off the coast of Iceland and in the Mediterranean.

Thanks to this new production plant for polyolefin-coated fabrics, which will be located at the Ziplast facility in Milan, it is anticipated that more than 100 water bags will be produced three years after project end and more than two million cubic metres of water will be stored at three fresh water storage sites. The proposed solution will help avoid incineration of more than 2,000 tonnes of PVC and prevent more than 13 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the environment.
 
General goals

• PRODUCTION
  the set-up of a production facility of a monomaterial POLYOLEFIN-based coated structural fabrics, width 3 metres, with a production capacity of 250.000 square meters per year already 1 year after the project end.
• PROTOTYPING
  the prototyping of two 2.5 million litres waterbags made with the new POLYOLEFIN-based coated fabrics and the quantification of the environmental and LCA-LCC benefits compared to the use of PVC-coated fabrics.
• DEMONSTRATION
  the demonstration of the waterbag to be used as backup freshwater reservoir in two locations in Europe, offshore Iceland and in the Mediterranean.
• EXPLOITATION and REPLICATION
  Exploitation and replication of project results in other sectors, namely for the production of eco-friendly truck tarps and glacier ice covers, and demonstration of sustainability with the quantification of the environmental and LCA-LCC benefits compared to the use of PVC-coated fabrics for all the intended applications.
• DISSEMINATION & COMMUNICATION
  An effective dissemination and communication of the project results, targeting stakeholders worldwide.    

Specific goals

• Processing plant with a new coating machine capable of coating up to a fabric width of 3,000 mm.
• Procurement of equipment: a weaving machine for production of high-strength textiles with a width of 3,000 mm from polyolefin fibres.
• Integration of components and testing: checking and monitoring that the different system components are fully integrated and meet expectations in terms of performance is fundamental.
• Production runs, fixing errors and validation.
• Prototype design.
• Procurement of raw materials and ancillary components.
• Production of zip and tarpaulin patterns.
• Waterbag demo under dry conditions.
• Waterbag demo at sea (Northern Europe).
• Waterbag demo in the Mediterranean.
• Economic and environmental sustainability.
• Management of project innovation by using a careful exploitation and IPR management strategy, and ensuring the economic viability of all key project results.
• Studying replication of the developed solutions for different markets and applications. Initial exploitation of the TARPAULIFE results will be in Europe.
• Preparation of communication material.
• Dissemination across different channels.
• Compliance with EU indications in terms of alternative products to PVC and additive-free products.

The project also includes replication of the results in other sectors, namely, the production of eco-friendly truck tarps and glacier tarpaulins, and a demonstration of the sustainability of the new polyolefin fabric coating solution by quantifying the environmental and LCA-LCC benefits compared to the use of PVC-coated fabrics for all intended applications.

The TARPAULIFE Project is co-financed by the European Union through the LIFE Programme with file number 101147948 – LIFE23-ENV-IT-TARPAULIFE.   

Together with Fiber Engineering GmbH, the DITF presents a process for the production of biodegradable plant pots. The products are cost effective and competitive. At the same time, the production process combats the spread of the invasive water hyacinth, whose biomass serves as the raw material for the plant pots.

Combating an invasive species and reaping economic benefits at the same time? What sounds like a contradiction in terms has been successfully achieved by DITF scientists in a joint project with several companies.

Water hyacinth is a rapidly spreading plant that has been recognized as a threat to existing ecosystems in many countries around the world. In particular, Lake Victoria in Africa is suffering from the widespread spread of water hyacinth. Fish deaths due to oxygen depletion, the production of climate-damaging methane gas during decomposition, and the obstruction of shipping and energy production are among the most prominent problems. They offer a grim preview of what is on the horizon in many other countries. As an invasive species, water hyacinth is spreading into many ecosystems around the world as a result of human activities, threatening the quality of human life.

Several approaches have been taken to control the spread of water hyacinth. The main focus is on removing the carpet of plants from the water and then recycling the resulting biomass. This is also the starting point for the research project co-led by the DITF, which aims to produce a new, cost-effective composite material from the fibrous plant material. The result is a prototype plant pot that is competitive and meets all the technical requirements of the project objectives.

At the beginning of the project, the project partners defined the material requirements for the plant pot. These include good dimensional stability, which must also be ensured when the pot is filled with wet soil. The use of physiologically harmless materials for contact with food plants is also an important requirement, as is a cost-effective and therefore competitive production method. However, the main focus is on complete biodegradability and thus the unrestricted compostability of the plant pot.

The biomaterial for the production of the plant pots comes from Louisiana and is directly marketed by In-Between International under the product name CYNTHIA®. This raw material has been extensively tested and modified at the DITF with regard to its composition and suitability for technical processing. It consists mainly of cellulose and must first be screened and treated with a hydrophobic agent for further processing. Hydrophobing is necessary to give the plant pots a certain resistance to moisture.

The prepared raw material now needs to be combined with a binder. The binder binds the plant fibers and ensures the dimensional stability of the plant pot. Laboratory tests with various binders have identified those that guarantee good processability and dimensional stability of the fiber composite. A thermoplastic was selected that was easy to process in a hot press and that fully met the requirements for biodegradability.

Further laboratory tests determined the ideal ratio of binder to fiber raw material. Tests in an industrial composting plant showed that the material was fully biodegradable and that the plant pots would decompose within a reasonable period of time - a stability of 4-6 weeks was the project goal.

The researchers produced test samples for all these preliminary tests in the form of fiber composite panels on a hot press. The next step was to produce the first prototypes of plant pots from the pre-treated fiber material with the appropriate binder. This part was carried out by the project partner, Fiber Engineering GmbH from Karlsruhe. This company has extensive expertise in the field of fiber injection molding (FIM), which makes it possible to produce 3-dimensional molded parts from fibers in simple and fast process steps. Fiber Engineering GmbH has optimized its existing process for processing the water hyacinth fiber material. It produced a series of plant pots and thus realized the last step of the project objective.

A cost calculation, taking into account all the materials and processes used, confirmed that the plant pots could be produced extremely cheaply at a production price of less than five cents per pot, making them marketable. In daily use, garden centers will appreciate the haptic advantages - strength and moisture resistance despite the fact that the material is completely biodegradable. The fact that the material used is helping to solve a global environmental problem should be another plus when it comes to marketing the product.

Textile Exchange launched the first Materials Market Report in 2013 as a comprehensive, annual publication that provides unique data and insights into global fiber and raw materials production.

The Materials Market Report shares best available data on global fibre and material production volumes alongside program-specific volumes and other insights such as the number of certified sites. For the purpose of this report, leather, rubber, and down are considered non-fibre raw materials and are therefore included separately from the section and charts on ‘global fibre’.

It helps inform the textile industry’s efforts to reduce emissions associated with raw material production in line with a 1.5-degree temperature rise pathway. The report highlights the urgency to accelerate the transition to fibres from preferred sources, intensify efforts to significantly reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based materials, and invest in strategies that separate value creation from the need for extracting new materials.

It’s important to note that the compilation of global market data for fibres and raw materials is challenging and the quality of available data is often limited. The collection of primary data from suppliers is beyond the scope of this report so Textile Exchange relies on secondary data from industry associations, international organizations, governmental organizations, standard setters, and research institutes.

While Textile Exchange has collected, analysed, and compiled this information in all good conscience and has cross-checked it wherever possible, the report is intended for general guidance and information purposes only. Data gaps and inconsistencies are common in global market data, so modelling has often had to be applied.

Global fibre production reached an all-time high of 124 million tonnes in 2023, according to the latest Materials Market Report– which looks at total volumes used for apparel, home textiles, footwear, or any other application.

The data shows that the market share of virgin fossil-based synthetics continued to increase in 2023, with a decline in that of cotton and recycled fibres. Other key takeaways from the report’s data include:

• Record fibre production: Despite industry efforts, global fibre production has more than doubled since 2000. The last year’s 124 million tonnes represents a 7% increase from 116 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected to rise to 160 million tonnes in 2030 if current trends continue.
• Synthetics continue to dominate: The production of virgin fossil-based synthetic fibres increased from 67 million tonnes in 2022 to 75 million tonnes in 2023. Polyester remained the most produced fibre globally, accounting for 57% of total fibre production.
• Recycled synthetics face challenges: Although recycled polyester fibre production slightly increased in 2023, the overall market share of recycled polyester decreased from 13.6% to 12.5%. For polyamide (nylon), the second most used synthetic fibre, recycled fibres constituted only 2% of the total market share. These trends are attributed to the lower prices and continued production of virgin synthetics, as well as current limitations in recycling technologies. Less than 1% of the global fibre market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
  
  The combined share of all recycled fibres slightly decreased in 2023, from around 7.9% to 7.7%, mainly due to an increase in the production of fossil-based polyester, which had lower prices than recycled polyester. Fossil based synthetics production increased from 67 million tonnes in 2022 to 75 million tonnes in 2023. Meanwhile, less than 1% of the global fibre market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
• Cotton production saw a slight decline: Total global cotton volumes fell slightly from 25.1 million tonnes in 2022 to 24.4 million tonnes in 2023. However, the share of cotton produced under sustainability programs remained stable, accounting for 29% of all cotton produced.
• Certified wool climbs: Data showed positive trends for wool produced under standards such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, SustainaWOOL (GREEN and GOLD), Sustainable Cape Wool Standard (SCWS) and Climate Beneficial programs. This increased from 4.2% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2023. Recycled wool continued to account for around 6% of the global wool market.
• Certified mohair and cashmere reached almost half of market share: Certified fibres such as mohair and cashmere saw notable growth, both with market shares of 47%.
• Manmade cellulosic fibres production increased: Overall MMCF production increased from 7.4 million tonnes in 2022 to 7.9 million tonnes in 2023, representing 6% of the global fibre market.

The report highlights a continued reliance on new virgin fossil-based synthetic materials, threatening to undermine the industry’s commitments to its climate goals. It also shows the current limitations of textile-to-textile recycling and an urgent need for innovative solutions, with most recycled polyester still coming from PET bottles.

Amid these concerns, one positive trend that stands out is the increased industry demand for responsible animal fibres through programs like the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) and Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS), both contributing to better animal welfare and environmental management. This indicates the potential of farm-level standards of this kind to increase market recognition of more sustainable practices on the ground.

“We hope this data serves as a clear call to action for the industry, highlighting both the successes and the critical areas where we must intensify our focus to meet climate targets,” said Claire Bergkamp, CEO of Textile Exchange.

“Unlocking textile-to-textile recycling pathways will be essential to reducing reliance on virgin synthetics. Equally important is continuing to support those on the ground who are driving the transition from conventional systems to preferred materials. It is more urgent than ever to support those who have already invested in preferred systems, while also enabling the transition away from conventional at scale.”

Download of the Materials Market Report 2024.

The project:

• analysed 2.7 million square kilometres in India for organic cotton
• demonstrates 97% accuracy rate in detecting cotton fields, over 80% accu-racy in determining their organic status.
• aims to increase organic cotton integrity and availability

In a pioneering move that could reshape sustainable agriculture, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and AI firm Marple have unveiled the results of their revolutionary Satellite Cotton Monitoring Project in India, demonstrating a 97% accuracy rate in detecting cotton fields and over 80% accuracy in determining their organic status. Addressing critical challenges in the industry, this innovative project aims to increase organic cotton availability and secure fibre integrity, building on GOTS's existing robust measures.

Global Standard is a trailblazer, solution provider and thought leader in the voluntary sustainability standards space, and the Satellite Cotton Monitoring Project continues this tradition of innovation and creative thinking.

How it Works
Co-financed by Global Standard, the non-profit behind GOTS, and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, the project leverages the Cotton Cultivation Remote Assessment (CoCuRA) software developed by Marple.

Field teams visited over 6,000 fields in India, across the states of Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, collecting data on crops, soil types and cultivation status. This data was then used by Marple to refine the CoCuRA algorithm for cotton specifics in India. Once the algorithm was trained, it was applied to the entire agricultural area of India, covering a staggering 2.7 million square kilometres. Within seconds, CoCuRA detected all organic and conventional cotton fields with remarkable accuracy. A project of this magnitude is only possible with CoCuRA with no other comparable project or data in existence.

Enhancing Organic Cotton Availability
The technology's ability to pinpoint cotton fields where farmers use near-organic or uncertified organic methods can ensure a steady increase in certified organic cotton by facilitating their certification process.

Jeffrey Thimm, organic production specialist at Global Standard, said, "This technology identifies farmers who use sustainable methods that meet organic standards but lack certification. By integrating these farms into conversion projects, it boosts organic cotton supply, promotes sustainable farming practices and enables farmers to access premiums on their supplies."

Securing Organic Fibre Integrity
Building on GOTS's robust integrity measures, the CoCuRA software integrates AI technology with satellite data to verify cultivation practices meticulously. The data collected also contributes to Global Standards’ Global Fibre Registry, consolidating comprehensive data on raw material production before entering the GOTS value chain, further adding to fraud detection and prevention.

Sustainability in Textiles
Global Standard is recognised for its comprehensive approach to sustainability. From promoting human rights along the value chain to banning harmful chemicals in certified textiles, GOTS sets a benchmark for integrity and sustainability. In addition, GOTS certification is a powerful tool that helps companies comply with legal requirements globally.

"For over 20 years, we have been pioneering solutions to help the industry on its journey towards sustainability,” said Claudia Kersten, managing director of Global Standard. “This project is a game changer, combining satellite technology with AI to meet the growing demand for genuine organic cotton. In addition, this eye in the sky will prevent fraud by allowing us to crosscheck locations and field sizes in a very cost-efficient way. It's a win-win-win situation: farmers have an incentive to grow organic and improve their lives, the industry can secure its supply and meet its sustainability goals, and consumers have a greater choice of organic textiles."

Future Prospects and Global Impact
Following the successful pilot in India, the project aims to expand globally.

Daniel Lanz, managing partner at Marple, said, "India faces unique challenges in the satellite-based detection of agricultural fields. Firstly, the country is extremely large and spans several climate zones. Secondly, field sizes are very small, and thirdly, field boundaries are often indistinguishable, with one field merging into the next. Despite these challenges, CoCuRA has achieved astonishing accuracy in detecting cotton fields and assessing their cultivation methods. This breakthrough provides a pioneering overview of cotton production in India that would be impossible to achieve on the ground. CoCuRA will help protect the integrity of organic farmers and may facilitate more smallholders transitioning to organic farming by simplifying the certification process."

Guillaume Tuan Prigent, a business developer and partnership officer in ESA’s Applications Projects and Studies Division said, “The potential impact of the solution lies in its ability to be scaled and this is exactly what we are working on. We are looking to deliver a solution that could have a global impact for the benefit of all. “

Global Standard is eager to see this technology extend to other regions and additional fibres, which could revolutionise how crops are monitored.

The recycling of used textiles is facing a potential collapse. Industry experts agree that the current crisis is more serious than the COVID-19 crisis at the time.

In the case of Covid-19, there was a foreseeable period of a few months, after which the industry recovered quite quickly and the effect of pent-up demand caused prices to return to a normal level within a short period of time.
 
“We now have a completely different situation that threatens the existence of many of the established used textile recyclers in the industry,” says Stefan Voigt, Chairman of the bvse's Textile Recycling Association (FTR).
 
The global market for used textiles has been in a deep crisis for some time, which has now reached a level that can only be described as a free fall. Since the spring, the prices for original collected goods no longer cover the enormous costs for container provision, collection and administration.

The price of original goods traded on the market has now reached an all-time low, causing existential hardship for many market participants.

The sale of original and sorted goods has become almost impossible. The loss of established market players has destroyed supply chains that have been tried and tested for years, and stocks of original and sorted goods have reached unprecedented record levels. Some market participants are forced to replace the usual sales business with bartering.

According to industry information, downstream players in the recycling chain, such as shredding and spinning mills, are also under pressure and have made massive staff cuts. The production of cleaning cloths has also reached an all-time low. Due to the relocation of production abroad and reduced domestic production, demand for cleaning cloths has fallen and prices have slipped to a very low level.

Consumer behavior and international markets exacerbate the crisis
Due to the generally high cost burden on the population, the consumption of textiles has collapsed. The negative trend of consuming low-quality fast fashion is now being reinforced by ultra-fast fashion of even poorer quality. This has disastrous effects on value creation within the recycling chain for used textiles.

“During the sorting process, increasingly large quantities of relatively new textiles are being found that are already so defective that they are no longer suitable for further use and therefore have to be fed into the recycling process,” explains Voigt. However, there is no money to be made here either, as the same cost structures apply to this part of the original goods as to wearable goods and the recycling process is also very cost-intensive.

Industry calls for the introduction of an EPR system
Until now, the recycling of the proportion of sorted goods has been subsidised by the proceeds from wearable goods, but this system has not worked for some time. The industry is desperately waiting for the introduction of a national EPR system for textiles in order to stabilise costs.

The EU Commission's recently published draft of the revised EU Waste Framework Directive provides for the introduction of a system of extended producer responsibility for textiles. The existing collection and recycling structures in Germany, which enable the separate collection of used textiles close to the public, are to play a central role in this.

The draft of the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) also emphasises the importance of the national recycling industry for used textiles. Without it, the establishment of a closed-loop system for textiles would not be feasible.

Crisis not limited to Germany
The crisis has also made ripples internationally. Countries such as the Netherlands, traditionally the largest buyer of used textiles from Germany, have already addressed the crisis in the national media. Almost 250 companies there are involved in the collection, sorting and international marketing of used textiles.

Around 60 per cent of the original goods are recycled as sustainable clothing after sorting, meaning that the industry is reliant on stable markets in which recycling proceeds can be generated. But this is precisely the problem. ‘Due to the effects of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Eastern European market can only be served in fragments,’ explains Voigt.

In addition, despite its potential, the African market is currently facing enormous challenges because there is practically no money left in the system, he adds, explaining the concerns he receives from many interviewees in the industry: ‘The enormous drop in the value of many currencies in various African countries    means that it is becoming increasingly difficult for African customers to buy urgently needed second-hand clothing for hard currency,’ Voigt continues.

For example, the currency in the extremely important African market of Ghana has lost roughly 20 per cent against the euro over the last six months of 2024. In addition, the transfer of foreign currency now takes up to two months, meaning that it now takes up to six months to return the proceeds of realisation.

In addition, the African market is increasingly dominated by Chinese influence. ‘The actually better quality of high-quality used European second-hand clothing can hardly compete with new Asian goods,’ reports Voigt. Ultra fast fashion from China is flooding the market with extremely low prices, making it increasingly difficult to market sorted, second-hand clothing.

In addition to economic problems, there are also logistical challenges. ‘Our customers are reporting increasing difficulties in obtaining the necessary visas for a business visit to Europe within an acceptable waiting period,’ explains Voigt. The waiting time for an appointment at the consulate can currently be up to two months.

Call for short-term measures
In order to prevent the system from collapsing in the short term, Voigt believes that the usual remuneration structures for local authorities and providers of parking spaces for collection containers need to be reconsidered. ‘Recycling revenues have not been realised for some time now, so they can no longer be paid out or must be adjusted to the current situation,’ says Voigt.

The industry expects the current crisis to last even longer. ‘Not everyone will survive,’ predicts Voigt. Many collection areas are already being offered on the open market and various collection capacities are being cancelled without replacement. The future of the used textile recycling industry remains uncertain and there is no end to the crisis in sight.

Fungi have more to offer than meets the eye. Their thread-like cells, which grow extensively and out of sight underground like a network of roots, offer huge potential for producing sustainable, biodegradable materials. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam Science Park are using this mycelium to develop a wide range of recyclable products, from wallets and insulation to packaging.

Flexible mycelium materials in different thicknesses can be used as upholstery material, insulation board or alternatives to leather.

To most of us, fungi look like a curved cap and a stem. However, the largest part of the organism consists of a network of cell filaments called mycelium, which mainly spreads below ground and can reach significant proportions. This finely branched network has been underutilized until now. However, for researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam, mycelium represents a pioneering raw material with the potential to replace petroleum-based products with natural, organic mycelium composites. Organic residues from regional agricultural and forestry activities are used as the substrate for the fungal cultures. In various projects, the researchers are using mycelium-based materials to produce insulation, packaging, and animal-free alternatives to leather products.

Mycelium-based materials from regional agricultural residues
“Faced with climate change and dwindling fossil raw materials, there is an urgent need for biodegradable materials that can be produced with lower energy consumption,” says Dr. Hannes Hinneburg, a biotechnologist at Fraunhofer IAP. Together with his team, he is using mycelium — for instance, from edible mushrooms or bracket fungi such as the oyster mushroom or tinder fungus — to transform locally available plant residues into sustainable materials. “The mycelium has properties that can be used to produce environmentally friendly, energy-efficient materials, since the growth of the fungi takes place under ambient conditions and CO2 remains stored in the residues. When cellulose and other organic residues decompose, a compact, three-dimensional network forms, enabling a self-sustaining structure to develop,” explains Hinneburg. This produces a material that is a complex compound with an organic substrate such as cereal residues, wood chips, hemp, reeds, rape or other agricultural residues. These substances are a source of nutrients for the fungus and are permeated entirely by a fine network of mycelia during the metabolic process. This produces a fully organic composite that can be made into the required shape and stabilized through thermal treatment. “First, you mix water together with agricultural residues such as straw, wood chips and sawdust to form a mass. Once the level of humidity and particle size have been determined, and the subsequent heat treatment to kill off competing germs has been completed, the substrate is ready. It provides food for the fungi and is mixed with the mycelium. Following a growth phase of around two to three weeks in the incubator, the mixture will produce, depending on the formulation and process used, a substance similar to leather or a composite that can be processed further,” says Hinneburg, summarizing the production process. No light is required for this process — a bonus as far as energy efficiency is concerned.

Versatile applications: strength and elasticity can be specifically configured
The fungal materials can be cultivated with a wide range of properties. Depending on the application, they can be hard-wearing, stretchable, tear-resistant, impermeable, elastic, soft and fluffy, or open-pored. The result is determined by the combination of the type of fungus and agricultural residues, plus variable parameters such as temperature and humidity. The duration of mycelial growth also influences the end product. The versatility of the material means it can take on a huge variety of forms, from thick blocks to wafer-thin layers, and be used in a multitude of scenarios. This makes it possible to use fungi-based materials for textile upholstery, packaging, furniture, bags or insulation boards for interiors. When used as a construction material, the fungus primarily functions as a biological adhesive since a wide range of organic particles are joined together via the mycelium.

“The many positive properties of the material, heat-insulating, electrically insulating, moisture-regulating and fire-resistant, enable an important step toward circular and climate-positive construction,” says Hinneburg, one of whose current projects involves developing a novel polystyrene alternative for thermal insulation. In another project, he is working alongside the Institute for Food and Environmental Research and Agro Saarmund e.G. to produce environmentally friendly, mycelium-based packaging trays from residues and raw materials sourced from local agricultural and forestry activities. In work he has done with designers, he has also developed the base material for animal-free alternatives to leather products such as bags and wallets. As the mycelium-based materials look similar to their leather counterparts, they can be used to complement leather items in certain areas.

Developing industrial processes
In Europe, only a few companies are currently developing mycelium-based materials for commercial use. The challenges in this area include access to biogenic residues, the ability to ensure consistent product quality and the means to scale up activities efficiently.

To address these challenges, the researchers are using a newly developed roll-to-roll method, for which they have already created a prototype. This method offers significant advantages over standard manufacturing processes involving boxes and shelving systems: By using a standardized, continuous production method under controlled process conditions (such as temperature and humidity), the researchers can ensure that the mycelium-based products have consistent material properties. What’s more, resources can be used more efficiently, and production can be scaled to an industrial level. “This is crucial in order to meet growing industry demand for sustainable materials and to become less dependent on petroleum in the long term. Production can also be improved further by using innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence to optimize the combination of residues and types of fungi,” says Hinneburg.

Sheet moulding compounds (SMCs) are long-fibre-reinforced semi-finished products that can be used to produce complex moulded parts with a high surface quality using the extrusion process. The Fraunhofer IWU Zittau and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences are researching biological alternatives for glass fibres in composite materials. The aim is to develop economical manufacturing processes so that the switch to less environmentally harmful biogenic residues for fibre reinforcement can be achieved soon.

SMC components can be used in a wide range of applications. They are used as interior panelling in trains and railways, exterior panelling for trucks and agricultural machinery or to protect electrical distribution boxes and switchgear.

Dr Rafael Cordeiro is a research associate at the Fraunhofer Plastics Centre Oberlausitz and in the LaNDER³ project at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. He is working in particular on train interior linings in which the glass fibre is replaced by natural fibres in combination with resin. The natural fibre used is hemp - more precisely, the coarser fibres that are a by-product of textile production using hemp. The proportion of natural fibres in the newly developed SMC is around 15 percent by weight; the planned use of bio-based resin as the matrix, i.e. the component in which the fibres are embedded, will increase the ‘natural’ proportion to up to 38 percent in future. Added to this are 55 percent minerals such as calcium carbonate (known as limestone or chalk) or aluminium hydroxide hydrate, which occurs naturally as bauxite. The remaining 7 per cent are predominantly petrochemical additives for which there is currently no bio-based substitute. The following are important facts about natural fibre SMCs.

Challenges for production
One challenge for production is that natural fibres in particular bind moisture and may require prior drying in countries with high humidity, otherwise blistering may occur. The formation of bubbles also depends on the impregnation.

Dr Cordeiro: ‘The natural fibre SMC has been developed in such a way that only very small additional plant investments and minimal process parameter changes are required for the production of larger quantities.’

Energy consumption during production
There are no significant differences between natural fibre and glass fibre SMCs in terms of the processes and the energy required for the production of semi-finished products and components by impact extrusion. Semi-finished products are produced at room temperature, which is why the energy requirement of the system is relatively low. The forming of components takes place in a hot pressing process in hydraulic presses, at temperatures between 110 °C and 150 °C. This temperature window is lower than that of thermoplastic components and does not require any cooling or heating cycles for the moulds, with correspondingly positive effects on energy requirements.

Impact on people and the environment
As with all plastic products, there is also the possibility of microplastic formation through abrasion. However, the natural fibre SMCs developed at the Fraunhofer IWU in Zittau are intended for the applications mentioned above, where there is no intensive abrasion. The substitution of glass fibres with hemp fibres leads to a significant reduction in skin and respiratory tract irritation among employees in the area of material and product manufacturing as well as when handling damaged parts or during disposal. In addition, the production of hemp fibres results in significantly lower CO₂ emissions than glass fibres, which considerably reduces the environmental impact.

Durability
The typical service life of natural fibre SMCs is up to 30 years, depending on whether the material is used for indoor or outdoor applications. The weather resistance, for example, can be increased by specifically adjusting the matrix resin.

Biodegradability and recyclability
Similar to conventional SMCs, natural fibre SMCs cannot be recycled either. Although the latter are not biodegradable as a whole, promising attempts are being made to separate the natural fibre from the matrix and the filler so that the natural fibre portion can be composted and the filler reused. After separation, the fibres are so small that they can no longer be used in SMC applications. There is a need for further research into the technological reuse of the short fibres obtained.

Dr Rafael Cordeiro: ‘The sustainability balance of natural fibre SMCs is not yet perfect. But it is already much better than that of glass fibre-reinforced composite materials. The material costs are also right. This means that the alternatives we have developed to classic glass fibre SMCs are definitely marketable. The production of more sustainable SMC components is possible.’