The EU-backed tExtended project, a four-year initiative addressing textile waste, has entered its second phase after two years of research. With a budget of US $15.6 million, it aims to develop practical strategies for recycling, value recovery, repurposing, and textile reclamation.
A key focus is refining its Conceptual Framework, a knowledge-based plan designed to uphold excellence. Phase II involves testing this framework within an industrial-urban symbiosis setting, aiming to reduce textile waste by 80%. As textile waste management becomes a growing concern across Europe, the European Commission has prioritised textiles and plastics in its sustainability agenda.
AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, plays a crucial role in this phase. In collaboration with VTT, advanced optical sensor technologies such as NIR, RGB, and hyperspectral cameras are applied to identify and classify recyclable textiles. Air separation techniques are being developed to sort garments by type, while triboelectric and electrostatic separation methods target non-textile components. Pilot-scale modified equipment is being used to enhance textile processing.
Further advancements include the dissolution of PVC from textile waste to improve recyclability and a chemical recycling process for polyurethane foams, enabling the recovery of polyols for reuse in new polyurethane foam formulations.
“This integrated approach will allow AIMPLAS to significantly advance the sustainability of textile and plastic materials, promoting innovative solutions for recycling and the circular economy,” said Nacho Montesinos, chemical recycling researcher at AIMPLAS.
The four-year project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, now also addresses the social dimensions of the textile sector. By engaging local community stakeholders in activities such as pre-sorting and returning used textiles, tExtended aims to raise public awareness of textile sustainability and circularity.
The second phase of the tExtended project marks a significant advancement in textile waste management. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, fostering industrial collaboration, and prioritising sustainability, it seeks to establish new benchmarks in recycling and the circular economy. Through innovation and societal engagement, the initiative aims to drive lasting change across Europe’s textile and plastics sectors, paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future.
The project operates across Finland, Sweden, Belgium, France, Ireland, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, with a pan-European real-scale demonstrator currently under development.