Refashion has launched a new call for projects—the Industrial Challenge—to deploy new industrial solutions for recycling non-reusable used textiles and footwear in France and Europe.
- The Industrial Challenge aims to accelerate the transition to a circular textile industry through the industrialisation of innovative technologies and industrial outlets.
- Project leaders will be eligible for funding of up to €2 million, and the last date for applications is 24 March. The winners will be announced in May.
- Refashion will fund winner projects up to 50% of the total amount of the project, up to a maximum of €2 million per project.
- For the inaugural edition, Refashion is looking for solutions with a high technological readiness level (TRL), capable of industrially processing or consuming materials from non-reusable used textiles and footwear collected in France.
- Sorting operators, preprocessors of materials for recycling, recyclers, or manufacturers of products incorporating recycled materials, can take part.
Strategic areas: The Challenge will look at three strategic areas for projects
- Automated sorting and preprocessing for recycling of textiles and footwear: Optimise the stages of sorting and preprocessing textiles and footwear for recycling, using optical sorting, trims removal, disassembling, etc.
- Recycling of textiles and footwear: Recycling non-reusable used textiles and shoes, using a mechanical, thermomechanical, chemical or enzymatic process
- Incorporation of recycled materials from textiles and footwear: Incorporation of recycled materials from textiles and footwear, in a closed loop or open loop
Eligibility criteria: Refashion has listed eight. Products should:
- Relate to the recovery of non-reusable textiles (clothing and/or household linen) or footwear from household consumption (used) collected in France.
- Have a TRL between 7 and 9, so have the capacity to consume secondary raw materials industrially.
- Be technically reliable and economically viable, in terms of product outlets, markets and processes.
- Identify the nature and volume of non-reusable used textiles and/or footwear impacted throughout the project, and identify their availability in figures (estimate required).
- Identify the environmental impact of the technology.
- For projects requiring a feedstock of non-reusable used textiles and/or footwear (preprocessed or not), contact a sorting operator under contract with Refashion.
- Be led by a single legal entity. The project may involve other partners, but only the applicant entity will be considered as the project leader.
- There is no nationality requirement for project leaders, but the proposed solution must be applied on French or European territory using feedstock collected in France.
The host: Refashion describes itself as the producer responsibility organisation for clothing, household linen and footwear (CHF) accredited by French Public Authorities.
- Its mission is to take charge of the prevention and end-of-life management of CHF placed on the consumer market on behalf of the marketers.
- Refashion’s actions are designed to federate all stakeholders in the sector to develop eco-design, repair, re-use and recycling of CHF, while optimising the management of material, financial and human resources.
