Going Circular / Texcircle Interview

Textile Recycling as a Collaborative Effort: Texcircle Project Shows the Way

The Swiss textile recycling project Texcircle, which ended a month ago, showed exactly how a group of organisations can make it work together by contributing their own know-how, efforts, finances and materials. Tina Tomovic, Senior Research Associate of the project at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, which helmed the project, and Prof Brigitt Egloff tell texfash.com how the project worked, and what should be the way forward for textile recycling.

Subir Ghosh

11 December 2022

7 minutes

Long Story, Cut Short

The project goals for Texcircle were clear: to find out how collaborations between partners with circular plans have to be enforced and how synergies can be used.
The Texcircle project group formed a cluster, in order to jointly meet the challenges faced for a circular textile economy.
To optimise the future value creation of textile waste for circular use, the recycling and sorting of used textiles will have to be reconsidered.

The Texcircle project focused on shared materials/quantities and created prototypes to demonstrate the impact of secondary raw materials in products to show which processes need to be adapted for a circular economy.

Circular Way The Texcircle project focused on shared materials/quantities and created prototypes to demonstrate the impact of secondary raw materials in products to show which processes need to be adapted for a circular economy. Texcircle / Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

About a month ago, the joint collaboration and research on textile recycling Texcircle drew to an end. The aim of the project, run by the Product and Textile Research Group at the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU Hochschule Luzern) in Switzerland, was to close the lifecycle of textile products so that the original materials can be efficiently reused as raw materials for new, high-quality products. Texcircle examined and optimised recycling processes and relooked at existing value chains. The project worked. Several product prototypes from carpets, socks and curtains to pullovers, padding and accessories were developed.

The project partners were Coop, Rieter, Rohner Socks, Ruckstuhl AG, Texaid and Workfashion, while the network partners included Nikin, TigerLiz Textiles and Bundesamt für Zivildienst ZIVI. The project received additional support through collaborations with Swiss firms such as Jakob Härdi AG and international companies such as Marchi & Fildi and was funded by Swiss Innovation agency Innosuisse.

When Texcircle launched two years ago, what were the challenges you had envisaged? Were you already prepared fully for these challenges, or did you have to make course corrections midway?
The project goals for Texcircle were clear: we wanted to find out how collaborations between partners with circular plans have to be enforced and how synergies can be used, especially regarding the common use of material streams. Furthermore, from a more design-technical perspective, our goal was to realise yarns suitable for garment applications with a minimum of 50% recycled content.

Nevertheless, the project was full of complex challenges for us to foresee. Textile waste processing was more time-consuming and complicated than expected. We also lost more material than expected during these processes. In addition, the project fell into the first COVID-19 period, which made exchange difficult, especially with foreign collaboration partners. And then, we were surprised by the higher material and shipping costs. Nevertheless, no major course corrections had to be made, and the project team exceeded the original project goals.

The basic plans, obviously, would have been in place before the project was launched. But, in terms of nitty gritties, how long did it take for the actual plans to be made?
Concerning the planning and developing of the six prototypes, the project team chose a dynamic approach, which made it possible to react actively to unforeseeable events. However, meticulous planning of the material tests was crucial, as the project size allowed only a few tests simultaneously. In some cases, "one-shot" situations arose that only allowed one trial. This was mainly due to large minimum quantities in processing (especially in shredding and spinning or in producing nonwovens). As a result, it took the project team one and a half years to have all details ready to start production.

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Switzerland

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Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

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Recycling

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Texcircle Project

The project allows the partners to build up new value chains with the acquired know-how and to gradually replace the share of virgin fibres in their own products with recycled content. This requires the knowledge of circular economy models, the prototypes developed in the project in the sense of a feasibility study, and the local network that has been created, whereby local means partnerships throughout Europe.

Prototyping The project allows the partners to build up new value chains with the acquired know-how and to gradually replace the share of virgin fibres in their own products with recycled content. This requires the knowledge of circular economy models, the prototypes developed in the project in the sense of a feasibility study, and the local network that has been created, whereby local means partnerships throughout Europe. Texcircle / Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Two years can just fly away, before you realise. That would have meant precise coordination, and meeting of strict deadlines. How did you go about achieving this?
The project plan already provided several milestone meetings, followed by intermediate conferences and, depending on the needs, other exchanges within workshops. Besides that, the project was divided into three parallel thematics: building a local circular cluster, strengthening and optimising existing processes and developing prototypes to assess the feasibility. All three thematic focuses were separately managed but jointly discussed in the mentioned milestone meetings.

There were seven partners in all. Could you share how the workflow was implemented?
The Texcircle project group formed a cluster, in order to jointly meet the challenges we face for a circular textile economy. The project focused on shared materials/quantities and created prototypes to demonstrate the impact of secondary raw materials in products to show which processes need to be adapted for a circular economy. Some partners, for example, have fed leftover materials and post-consumer waste into the cluster, others have created semi-finished products (fleece or yarn), and others have developed products.

Besides the seven project partners, there were three network partners too. What was their role in the project?
The Federal Office for Civilian Service network partners, Nikin and TigerLiz Textiles, agreed to support the project with material donations and trials. In return, the network partners were invited to workshops to share the know-how acquired adequately.

The project page on your website says: "To future-proof textile production, we need to develop new sources of raw materials." Now that the project is complete, how do you think this will translate into broad action in the real manufacturing space?
To optimise the future value creation of textile waste for circular use, the recycling and sorting of used textiles will have to be reconsidered. In addition to the aspects of repair and remanufacture, recycling processes will lead to the development of new material flows. Considering new material flows from a design perspective is crucial to ensure success in the application. In the future, designers will have to be aware of the requirements and effects of recycling technologies to make firm decisions regarding their use in the final product. In the project, it became clear that besides the purely technical aspects, many criteria must be weighed against each other: functional, aesthetic, market-relevant and above all, ecological.

Tina Tomovic

Senior Research Associate

Lucerne School of Art and Design

The Texcircle project group formed a cluster, in order to jointly meet the challenges we face for a circular textile economy. The project focused on shared materials/quantities and created prototypes to demonstrate the impact of secondary raw materials in products to show which processes need to be adapted for a circular economy.

The Texcircle project clarified that the existing value chains need to be rethought. Stakeholders will have to work together, and, to some extent, there will be a need to work outside the box. Both downstream and upstream, there will have to be some extension of in-house competencies at each step within the value chain to ensure a smooth transfer between stakeholders.

Rethink The Texcircle project clarified that the existing value chains need to be rethought. Stakeholders will have to work together, and, to some extent, there will be a need to work outside the box. Both downstream and upstream, there will have to be some extension of in-house competencies at each step within the value chain to ensure a smooth transfer between stakeholders. Texcircle / Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

The website also says: "The aim is to close the life cycle of textile products so that the original materials can be efficiently reused as raw materials for new, high-quality products." How can the project ideas and solutions be implemented on the ground? Again, there are already many solutions that come in different shapes that can be implemented on different scales. Where does Texcircle stand on this? In that sense, how is Texcircle being positioned?
The project allows the partners to build up new value chains with the acquired know-how and to gradually replace the share of virgin fibres in their own products with recycled content. This requires the knowledge of circular economy models, the prototypes developed in the project in the sense of a feasibility study, and the local network that has been created, whereby local means partnerships throughout Europe. Since, as far as possible, all prototypes were implemented within industrial or semi-industrial processes, this approach now facilitates scaling for the partners.

For something of this sort to work out on the ground, there has to be one nodal point, or let's say one driving force. Broadly speaking, it has been brands and retailers who have been making the value chain work. Who is likely to drive the new product cycle?
The Texcircle project clarified that the existing value chains need to be rethought. Stakeholders will have to work together, and, to some extent, there will be a need to work outside the box. Both downstream and upstream, there will have to be some extension of in-house competencies at each step within the value chain to ensure a smooth transfer between stakeholders.

Designers will have to take on a communication expert role. In this role, it will be crucial to understand processes, materials, technologies, ecological aspects and the market. In this sense, the design will have a kind of hub role in the future, which must dock with all stakeholders to enable circular value creation.

In addition to the close cooperation of all stakeholders and a crucial role in the design, the emerging new EU regulations formulated within the Textile Strategy will have a sudden but positive impact on circular efforts in the sector.

Design As Key

The project took a design-centric perspective: process steps were being rethought and the role of designers expanded. Among other things, the project came up with a “Design Decision Tool” that enables designers to make informed decisions when developing circular product concepts.

Upcycling vs Ddowncycling

The project tested a variety of sorting and processing methods and examined mechanical recycling processes and associated secondary fibre blending processes in yarns and fleece products. To assess feasibility and validate prototypes, the project conducted experiments on an industrial scale whenever possible—an approach that ensures the future scalability of concepts.

To increase the impact of the results from Texcircle, it is worthwhile to further develop the findings into higher-level, circular product strategies for Swiss companies in the textiles industry. The results of the Texcircle project are essential starting points for this, ultimately deriving sustainable circular product strategies for the companies.

Impact How To increase the impact of the results from Texcircle, it is worthwhile to further develop the findings into higher-level, circular product strategies for Swiss companies in the textiles industry. The results of the Texcircle project are essential starting points for this, ultimately deriving sustainable circular product strategies for the companies. Texcircle / Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

The earlier Texcycle had given way to Texcircle. So, what are we likely to see next in the line? How do you see the learnings of the Texcycle project being transformed into action on the ground?
The project team is working with the cluster in the Texcircle project and new interested parties to set up a follow-up project to prepare the Swiss textile industry for transforming into a circular economy.

The two previous projects have clarified that more than mere process and material innovations are needed to move the sector towards the circular economy. A lot of effort has gone into many innovations of this kind in recent years. It is time for the textile industry to strategically orient itself towards the circular economy and drive this orientation forward with appropriate investments.

To increase the impact of the results from Texcircle, it is worthwhile to further develop the findings into higher-level, circular product strategies for Swiss companies in the textiles industry. The results of the Texcircle project are essential starting points for this, ultimately deriving sustainable circular product strategies for the companies. Future product strategies must be brand-logical and economically functional, be oriented towards state-of-the-art and political framework conditions, and be able to demonstrate their potential for improvement in a data-based manner via a life cycle assessment.

Also, the partners from Ruckstuhl, Rohner Socks, Nikin and TigerLiz Textiles are planning to release their first collections next year: building on the experiences within the project and integrating recycled content into their products to minimise their environmental footprint.

Prof Brigitt Egloff

Lecturer

Lucerne School of Art and Design

The Texcircle project clarified that the existing value chains need to be rethought. Stakeholders will have to work together, and, to some extent, there will be a need to work outside the box. Both downstream and upstream, there will have to be some extension of in-house competencies at each step within the value chain to ensure a smooth transfer between stakeholders.

To optimise the future value creation of textile waste for circular use, the recycling and sorting of used textiles will have to be reconsidered. In addition to the aspects of repair and remanufacture, recycling processes will lead to the development of new material flows.

Future Value To optimise the future value creation of textile waste for circular use, the recycling and sorting of used textiles will have to be reconsidered. In addition to the aspects of repair and remanufacture, recycling processes will lead to the development of new material flows. Texcircle / Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Subir Ghosh

SUBIR GHOSH is a Kolkata-based independent journalist-writer-researcher who writes about environment, corruption, crony capitalism, conflict, wildlife, and cinema. He is the author of two books, and has co-authored two more with others. He writes, edits, reports and designs. He is also a professionally trained and qualified photographer.

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