From the Sector

• Pidigi S.p.A. of Verona and a German subsidiary acquire key assets of Sympatex by way of an asset deal  
• 21 jobs and all four apprenticeship positions will be retained at the Unterföhring site 
• Transaction creates significant operational and economic synergies 

In the insolvency proceedings concerning the assets of the Munich-based textile company Sympatex Technologies GmbH, insolvency administrator Axel W. Bierbach of the law firm Müller-Heydenreich Bierbach & Kollegen (Munich) has found a viable solution for the continuation of business operations. The operating business is to be taken over by Pidigi S.p.A. of Verona by way of an asset deal effective June 1, 2026. Pidigi is an owner-managed, internationally active Italian supplier and innovation partner to the footwear, leather goods, and apparel industries, with a market presence spanning more than 70 years. Pidigi develops and markets high-quality materials and sustainable components for industrial applications.  

As part of the asset deal, Pidigi and a German subsidiary are acquiring the core assets of Sympatex and intend to continue business operations under the Sympatex brand. At the Unterföhring site near Munich, 21 jobs and the apprenticeships of all four trainees will be retained. The international locations in France, China, and Hong Kong, as well as the Korean sales office, are also to be continued. As part of the structural realignment, 25 employees at the Unterföhring site will receive notices of termination for operational reasons in the course of May, effective at the end of August. 

To mitigate the economic consequences for the affected employees, a reconciliation of interests and a social plan have been agreed upon. Around 20 employees have already left the company on their own initiative during the preliminary insolvency proceedings. With the transfer of business operations to Pidigi, future operational responsibilities will also be reorganized. Kim Scholze, who took over Sympatex as sole managing director during an extremely challenging phase and guided the company through the insolvency proceedings, will leave the company upon completion of the transaction. 

Basis secured for the continuation of operations at the Unterföhring site 
Insolvency administrator Bierbach described it as particularly encouraging that Sympatex’s Unterföhring site will be retained, thereby laying a crucial foundation for the sustainable continuation of business operations in Germany. He expressly thanked Kim Scholze, the entire workforce, and the works council for their dedication over the past few months. “Under difficult circumstances, Sympatex’s employees and managing director have contributed with a high degree of professionalism, great commitment, and remarkable loyalty to maintaining stable business operations and laying the groundwork for this investor solution,” Bierbach stated. Business operations have been able to continue in full during the three and a half months since the insolvency filing at the end of January 2026.  

“The past few months have demanded an enormous amount from Sympatex’s employees. This makes me all the more filled with respect for how professionally, loyally, and dedicatedly the teams worldwide have supported business operations, customer relationships and key projects during this phase. The fact that an investor solution for the technology, brand, and core business areas has now been achieved is a significant shared success. My special thanks go to all employees, partners, and customers who have supported Sympatex during this time with trust, dedication, and resilience,” said Kim Scholze.  

From the perspective of insolvency administrator Bierbach, Pidigi’s entry has created a viable future for the company. “Given the challenging market environment, which is subject to significant competitive and cost pressures, and Sympatex’s unique corporate history, finding a suitable buyer for Sympatex was a very demanding task. I am all the more pleased that we were able to secure an ideal investor in Pidigi, a company that knows this highly specialized market well and has itself been successfully rooted in the footwear and apparel industry for many decades. Pidigi has a clear vision for and brings excellent operational capabilities as well as deep industry expertise to secure and sustainably develop Sympatex’s international market presence, technological know-how, and established customer relationships,” the insolvency administrator said.

Pidigi has been working with Sympatex for several decades and, as a long-standing distributor in the footwear segment in Italy, possesses comprehensive market knowledge as well as a strong international network in the footwear and apparel industry. In addition, there is a long-standing partnership in the field of tape production. The Italian family-owned business uses Sympatex laminates and membranes, which Pidigi incorporates into its footwear and apparel products. 
This creates significant operational and economic synergy potential throughout the value chain.  

Strong foundation for continued growth and new market opportunities 
For Dr. Giorgio De Gara, owner and managing director of Pidigi, the transaction marks a milestone in the family business’s continued development. “The acquisition of Sympatex is an important strategic step for us, building on a long-standing and trusting partnership. We have known the company, its technologies and the people behind them for many years and are delighted to now welcome Sympatex as part of the Pidigi family. Together, we aim to further develop Sympatex’s international business in a targeted manner – from performance laminates and tapes for footwear applications to technical solutions for the public sector, workwear and apparel markets. By combining Sympatex’s technological expertise with Pidigi’s global market presence and operational strength, we are creating a strong foundation for further growth and new market opportunities. It is important to us to preserve Sympatex’s valuable technological know-how and the Unterföhring site, and to offer employees long-term prospects”, Dr. De Gara said. 

The structured investor sale process was supported by an experienced team of advisers. On the M&A side, the insolvency administrator was advised by Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner (W&P). Led by Dr. Hubertus Bartelheimer, M&A specialists Ante Jelavic and Thomas Müller oversaw the entire transaction process. Legal advice to the insolvency administrator was provided by Taylor Wessing Germany, led by Dr. Hendrik Boss and Lisa K. Iwersen, LL.M. (Stellenbosch). 

Alchemie Technology, a leader of jet precision dyeing solutions, is pleased to share that Endeavour demonstrates up to 92% water saving in their dyeing process.

The demonstration was validated by Fashion for Good and conducted by BluWin, through Fashion for Good’s Advanced Process Matrix (APM) assessment, an initiative to find sustainable resources for “Future Forward Factories”, seeking low-carbon innovative solutions to help textile process transition from wet processing to dry processing.

Alchemie Technology announced the results of the APM assessment, confirming that Endeavour digital dyeing technology delivers significant reduction in resource consumption, compared to traditional jet dyeing and thermosol processes. 

The assessment, conducted in Taiwan in September 2025, demonstrates that the Endeavour process—excluding pre and post treatment, achieves up to 92% reduction in water usage compared to jet dyeing and up to 90% reduction compared to the Thermosol method. By eliminating steam usage entirely, the technology reduces total energy consumption by up to 86% against Thermosol and up to 70% against jet dyeing. While the process is fully electric, it results in an increase in electricity consumption ranging from 30% to 128%, the shift facilitates a significant net decrease in Greenhouse Gas emissions, by up to 86% compared to Thermosol and up to 70% compared to jet dyeing methods. 

The data of the assessment was captured in a commercial production environment, highlighting Endeavour as a production-ready solution that can deliver environmental and operational advantages. In addition to reducing resource use, the technology operates at line speeds of 35 metres per minute, with the potential for higher speeds depending on fabric specifications. The impact assessment confirmed that the dyed polyester fabrics achieved colour fastness grades of 4 and above in all cases, meeting all standard industry requirements.

“The assessment was orchestrated by our partner, Fashion for Good under their APM project to validate the performance and impact of Endeavour” said Dr. Alan Hudd, CEO and Founder of Alchemie Technology. “The results of the APM or most people understand as a form of LCA confirm that it is possible to significantly reduce water, energy, and emissions in our dyeing process, without compromising on quality or production efficiency. This is a critical step in enabling the industry to adopt more resource-efficient processes at scale.”

Endeavour is a digital dyeing platform configurable for polyester, cotton, and man-made cellulosic fibres. It uses Alchemie’s proprietary dye application system to precisely apply dye to fabric, ensuring that no excess dye is used. By eliminating the need for large volumes of heated water, the process delivers substantial reductions in resource consumption compared to traditional dyeing methods.

The assessment evaluated the Endeavour polyester process against conventional jet exhaust dyeing and thermosol process, incorporating data from a full production workflow. The results of this assessment reinforce Alchemie Technology’s position as a provider of production-ready solutions that combine measurable sustainability improvements with consistent, high-quality output and operational efficiency.

The EU textile system is at a critical crossroads. Today, less than 1% of discarded garrments are recycled into new garments, despite EU-wide obligations for separate collection.

In response, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) is launching the 2030 Circularity Blueprint, in partnership with ReHubs. This ambitious initiative is designed to support the transformation of the EU textile ecosystem to advance textile-to-textile recycling and drive the transition to a circular economy. The Blueprint will be officially presented at the Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition on 6 May - one of the world’s leading forums for sustainability in fashion - bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to accelerate collective action.

Building on the ambitions of GFA’s 2020 Circular Fashion System Commitment and grounded in robust industry and value chain engagement, the Blueprint identifies and addresses the systemic fragmentation that has long hindered progress. It introduces a coordinated roadmap to close collection gaps, align stakeholders, and unlock the estimated €8–11 billion Capital Expenditure required to build Europe’s textile-to-textile recycling infrastructure.

Accelerating System-Level Change
The 2030 Circularity Blueprint sets out a clear implementation pathway - presenting eight interconnected intervention areas that have been designed to address systemic barriers in a coordinated way:

Systemic Conditions:
1.    Shared Framework for Circular & Sustainable Materials 
2.    Textile Waste Intelligence Platform
3.    Demand Signal Initiative: Long-Term Offtake Commitments 

Value Chain Interventions
4.    Designing for the Loop: Circularity at Product Design Stage 
5.    Closing the Collection Gap: Effective Textile Collection Systems 
6.    Closing the Sorting Investment Gap: Demand Certainty for Sorters
7.    Pre-Sorting & Feedstock Preparation: Regional Hub Infrastructure 
8.    Recycling Infrastructure at Scale: A Coordinated CAPEX Roadmap

When implemented correctly, the eight interventions are designed to create a system that turns voluntary ambition into investment-grade infrastructure and scalable industrial capacity by 2030, with the ambition to reach a target of 2.7 million tonnes of textile-to-textile recycling capacity by 2035.

As part of the 2030 Circularity Blueprint, GFA and ReHubs will bring two collaborative programmes to life. The first, led by ReHubs, centres on the 'Textile Waste Intelligence Platform'. The second tackles the critical challenge of closing the collection and sorting gap.

A Collaborative Path Forward
The 2030 Circularity Blueprint is designed as a dynamic, collaborative ecosystem, bringing together stakeholders across the value chain to co-create solutions, share ownership, and track progress. It will require coordinated, cohesive effort from all stakeholders - across brands, sorters, recyclers, infrastructure operators, and policymakers - working in alignment rather than in parallel.  The intervention areas will be advanced in partnership with other organisations ready to lead and invest. 

Call to Action:
GFA and ReHubs are actively seeking funding, partnerships, and contributions to bring the full 2030 Circularity Blueprint to life. Organisations are invited to lead and support the remaining intervention areas critical to achieving Europe’s circular textile ambitions.

To further catalyse progress, GFA is issuing a Call to Action for a Targeted Policy Incentive Framework, with concrete suggestions on how to unlock the secondary raw materials market in the EU. While demand for recycled feedstock is rising, cost remains a key barrier: recycled inputs currently command a premium ranging from approximately 20% to as much as double the price of virgin materials. Addressing this will require stronger demand through public procurement, more harmonised and fit-for-purpose Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems across countries, clearer requirements for the use of recycled materials, and increased investment in recycling infrastructure.

Recognising that scaling circular textiles requires aligning economic drivers with policy ambition, the proposal sets out targeted incentive measures across EU legislative and financial instruments. It urges the European Commission to integrate these across existing and forthcoming frameworks, while encouraging Member States to operationalise them at national level, ensuring that circular solutions can compete and scale in practice.

Federica Marchionni, CEO, GFA, says: "The vision for a textile circular economy is clear, and innovation is gaining ground. Yet progress is stalled by supply–demand deadlocks, compounded by a fragmented landscape where initiatives and stakeholders operate in silos, often unaware of their interdependence. Furthermore, without precise incentives to align efforts and investment, progress cannot move at the pace required.

Evan Wiener, Interim COO and Board Advisor to ReHubs, says: “Unlocking textile circularity at scale requires the full value chain to move together. ReHubs brings leading organisations from across the textile recycling value chain to the same table to align interests, orchestrate investment, and turn fragmented efforts into a functioning ecosystem. This collaborative initiative directly supports our strategy to industrialise textile-to-textile recycling and break the supply–demand deadlock at scale.”

The 2030 Circularity Blueprint aims to change that—identifying key bottlenecks and leveraging interconnections to unlock the potential of the circular value chain: turning ambition into tangible progress.