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04.01.2022

EU Project: System Circularity & Innovative Recycling of Textiles

SCIRT stands for System Circularity & Innovative Recycling of Textiles. Coordinated by VITO, an independent Flemish research organisation in the cleantech and sustainable development sector, SCIRT is a three year EU-funded project from the Horizon 2020 Programme.

It aims to demonstrate a complete textile-to-textile recycling system for discarded clothing—or post-consumer textiles—involving stakeholders throughout the value chain and focusing on the recycling of natural fibres, synthetic fibres and fibre blends. To reach this goal, the project has set four main objectives.

SCIRT stands for System Circularity & Innovative Recycling of Textiles. Coordinated by VITO, an independent Flemish research organisation in the cleantech and sustainable development sector, SCIRT is a three year EU-funded project from the Horizon 2020 Programme.

It aims to demonstrate a complete textile-to-textile recycling system for discarded clothing—or post-consumer textiles—involving stakeholders throughout the value chain and focusing on the recycling of natural fibres, synthetic fibres and fibre blends. To reach this goal, the project has set four main objectives.

  • Deliver a closed-loop recycling solution for discarded textiles.
  • Stimulate and encourage conscious design as well as production practices.
  • Create new business opportunities by boosting textile value chain activity.
  • Raise awareness of the environmental and social impacts of buying clothes.

Gathering 18 partners from five countries, the SCIRT project held its virtual kick-off meeting in mid-2021 to begin tackling the issue of clothing waste and recyclability, one of the biggest challenges faced in the fashion industry today.

As clothing brands are setting ambitious targets and making promises to incorporate recycled fibres in their products, discarded textiles are piling up in abundance around the globe. Though it would seem that the stars of supply and demand have aligned for this part of the circular economy, the truth is that less than 1% of textile waste is recycled into new textile fibres, according to an Ellen MacArthur Foundation report published in 2017. This miniscule percentage is indicative of a greater problem-achieving circularity in the fashion industry is not just a question of supply and demand, but of the connection between the two. There is a lack of knowledge surrounding the technological, economic and environmental feasibility of recycling fibre mixtures, and a need to align the quality and cost of recycling processes with the demands of textile companies and fashion brands.

SCIRT will develop solutions to support systemic innovation towards a more circular fashion system and bridge this supply-demand gap. To address the demand side of the equation, SCIRT will demonstrate a complete textile-to-textile recycling system for discarded clothing, otherwise known as post-consumer textiles, involving stakeholders throughout the value chain and focusing on the recycling of natural and synthetic fibres, as well as fibre blends. With the support of technical partners and research institutes, clothing brands Decathlon, Petit Bateau, Bel & Bo, HNST and Xandres, will develop, prototype and produce six different representative types of apparel using post-consumer recycled fibres. These include formal and casual wear, sportswear, underwear and uniforms. Through this endeavour, SCIRT will prioritise quality and cost-effectiveness in order to ensure market confidence and encourage the broad uptake of post-consumer recycled fibres.

From a non-technological perspective, SCIRT will develop supporting policy measures and tools to facilitate the transition towards a circular system for apparel. This includes a framework for an eco-modulated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system and a True Cost Model to quantify circularity and increase value chain transparency. Special attention will also be given to the consumer perspective. To this end, Citizen Labs engaging consumers in various European locations, as well as a wider online engagement platform, will be developed to engage citizens throughout the project in order to understand the perceptions, motivations and emotions shaping their behaviour regarding the purchase, use, and disposal of textiles.

Over the next three years, SCIRT project partners will work to overcome current technological, economic, socio-economic and regulatory barriers faced in textiles recycling to achieve a real, lasting circular fashion economy.

2021:
The SCIRT project kicks off and partners identify the current state-of-the-art in apparel design, production and recycling, challenges and market trends, and stakeholder needs.

2022:
Designing and testing a fibre-to-fibre system by producing recycled yarns and filaments, free from harmful substances.

2023:
Formal wear, casual wear, sportswear, underwear and uniforms will be designed and produced using the optimized yarns developed.

Partners

  • Fashion companies: Bel&Bo, HNST, Decathlon, Xandres, Petit Bateau
  • Research organisations: VITO, CETI, Prospex Institute
  • Universities: BOKU, TU Wien, ESTIA
  • Industry players: Altex, AVS Spinning - A European Spinning Group (ESG) Company, Valvan
  • SMEs: Circular.fashion, FFact
  • Non-profit organisations: Flanders DC, IID-SII

 

ALTEX
ALTEX is a textile recycling company based in Germany that employs state-of-the-art machinery to recycle textile waste into new high-quality products. Its products include teared fibres, natural fibres, synthetic fibres and fibre blends among others.

Bel & Bo
Bel&Bo is a family-owned Belgian business with about 95 retail stores located throughout Belgium. Its mission is to offer colourful, fashionable and sustainably produced clothing for men, women and children at an affordable price.

CETI
The European Center for Innovative Textiles (CETI) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to conceiving, experimenting with and prototyping innovative textile materials and products through both private and collaborative R&D projects.

circular.fashion
circular.fashion offers software for circular design, intelligent textile sorting and closed-loop recycling, including the Circular Design Software and the circularity.ID®, as well as training and hands-on support to fashion brands in their transitions.

Decathlon
With over 315 stores in France, and 1,511 around the world, Decathlon has been innovating since 1976 to become the main player for athletic people. It has been engaged in reducing its environmental impact through a number of actions.

ESG
The European Spinning Group (ESG) is a textile group based in Belgium that offers a range of yarns produced with a highly technological open-end spinning mill for different applications, such as for interiors, fashion and technical textiles.

ESTIA
ESTIA is a French institute that has provided education and training in the areas of industrial technologies for 20 years. Since 2017, ESTIA has had a program focused on new materials and disruptive process in the fashion and textile industry.

FFACT
FFact is a unique group of management consultants that facilitates the implementation of sustainability from a business perspective, and translates facts into useful management information. FFact is based in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Flanders DC
The Flanders District of Creativity, a non-profit organisation based in Belgium, informs, coaches, promotes and inspires creative entrepreneurs in various sectors, including the fashion industry, who want to build or grow their business.

HNST
HNST is a Belgian circular denim brand that recovers post-consumer denim and recycles it into new fabric in the EU, creating durable and 100% recyclable jeans that use 82% less water and emit 76% less carbon dioxide than conventional jeans.

Petit Bateau
Petit Bateau is a French apparel brand that specialises in knit products. As a vertical company, Petit Bateau carries out its own knitting, dyeing, making up and store management with the support of its 3,000 employees.

Prospex Institute
The Prospex Institute aims to promote the participation of citizens and stakeholders in socially relevant decision-making dialogue and development by engaging with theorists and practitioners both in Belgium and abroad.

IID-SII
The Sustainable Innovation Institute is a French non-profit association based in Paris. Initiated by LGI, a French SME, the purpose of IID-SII is to act as a think and do tank on sustainable innovation to support the adoption of novel solutions.

TU Wien
TU Wien is an open academic institution where research, teaching and learning have taken place under the motto “Technology for people” for the past 200 years. One of its key areas of research is on recycling technology and fibre innovation.

BOKU
Research at the Institute for Environmental Biotechnology of BOKU based in Vienna, Austria focus on the exploitation of enzymes as powerful biocatalysts for biomaterials processing within recycling applications.

Valvan
Valvan Baling Systems has 30 years of experience in designing and constructing custom-made machinery, specialising in Baling Machines and Sorting Facilities for fibre producers, collectors, sorters and recyclers of textiles.

VITO
VITO, a leading independent European research and technology organisation in the cleantech and sustainable development sectors, aims to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable society by developing sustainable technologies.

Xandres
Xandres is a brand inspired by and for women. It is rooted in a highly respected tradition of fashion, driven by quality and created for the life women lead today. Xandres offers innovative designs with respect for luxury and the environment.

Automotive GROUPE JEC
29.03.2016

BIG SUCCESS FOR THE FIRST EDITION OF JEC WORLD

JEC World, the largest international composites show, opened at the new Paris Nord Villepinte venue for the first time. Its content, design and scenery were the object of much admiration. New records have been reached this year, with a total surface of 62,000 sqm, 1,300 exhibitors and 36,946 professional visits in attendance. One of the show’s new features consisted of the “Planets”, four new display areas totalling  more than 1,800 sqm.

JEC World, the largest international composites show, opened at the new Paris Nord Villepinte venue for the first time. Its content, design and scenery were the object of much admiration. New records have been reached this year, with a total surface of 62,000 sqm, 1,300 exhibitors and 36,946 professional visits in attendance. One of the show’s new features consisted of the “Planets”, four new display areas totalling  more than 1,800 sqm.

A World of Difference
JEC Group presents composites in a completely different style

According to JEC Group President and CEO Mrs Frédérique Mutel, the unanimous reaction to the show was pride in the composites industry and delight at JEC Group’s showcasing of it. “The JEC teams have indeed done a wonderful job at presenting composites to the world in the most impressive way,” she said. “An enormous range of products and technologies were presented, shared and showcased at JEC World 2016. Composite materials continue to become more widespread. In a world where energy savings and recyclability are sought, composites seem to stand out as one of the best answers. Innovative solutions must be found for current and upcoming challenges in terms of higher performance, lower weight, reduced costs and processing time, and of course, addressing the pressing matters of environmental concerns.”

This year’s event also featured the launch of four Innovation Planets, each one addressing a specific end-user market (the Aero Planet, the Auto Planet sponsored by Hexion, the Sports Planet and the Sustainable Planet). These areas were very popular ones, where attendees could see, touch and experience Innovative composite parts, observe demos, and ask questions about the innovations.

New name, new venue for the comfort of all attendees
To truly reflect the global dimension of the exhibition, which included participants from more than 100 countries, the event has taken on a more suitable name, “JEC World”. For the convenience of exhibitors and visitors, it has also moved northward from the southern part of Paris, in order to be closer to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, train stations and many other connecting opportunities. The total surface has
increased to 62,000 sqm, offering visitors and exhibitors a bigger show with enhanced features to improve the visiting experience. These include a new mobile application, Internet connections on the entire floor, a concierge service open to all, and digital touch screens.

High-level content delivered by JEC Expertise
Over the three days, participants were able to gather a wealth of information from the 11 top-notch conferences, some of them organized in partnership with Inovev, Cetim, e-Xstream, Stanford University, Onera, Composites Innovation Cluster, AZL and Dassault Systemes. The 30 technical sales presentations and the 40+ presentations on the “Planets” also covered a vast range of current and future composite topics.

A large delegation of Korean visitors and exhibitors showed up to proudly represent the Republic of Korea, the event’s Country of Honour. They showcased their latest advances, particularly in carbon, proving to the world that they have become a key player in the composite industry.

Other noteworthy events included the JEC Innovation Awards with its 29 prizewinners; the Automotive Composites Circle; the Live-Demo zones; the Composites in Action areas; and the 1,950 B2B Meetings that were organized.

The popularity of the event keeps on growing, which is very encouraging for next year’s session. Many exhibitors have already confirmed their participation.

SAVE THE DATE
JEC WORLD 2017 - Paris Nord Villepinte
March 14-16, 2017
More information: www.jeccomposites.com