Textiles, back to textile
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Innovatum AB - Innovatum Teknikpark |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 2 042 124 |
| Project duration | December 2014 - December 2016 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The purpose of the project is to further develop complementing innovations with the focus on up scaling and industrialization to facilitate the establishment of circular economy for cellulose based textiles, much like the circular system for cellulose based paper and packaging. The project has also driven the preparations for the establishment of a testbed, connecting several physical environments, supporting and driving the development of a circular system for textiles. The project has fulfilled both goals.
Expected results and effects
The project has shown that it is possible to produce attractive textile products for the consumer market based on mixed qualities of recycled and virgin cellulose. The work resulted in finalizing the first effective process for chemical recycling of cellulose from cotton, viscose and Lyocell. The process is under industrial establishment, ready for operation 2017. The market for recycled cellulose is expected to develop fast, based on the working recycling process and available industrial capacity for managing used textiles. New business models is also expected to emerge.
Planned approach and implementation
The project members represented a possible future value-chain ranging from raw materials to services, charity, fashion and retail, complemented by academy and research institutions. The execution focused on further development of the weaker and less developed parts of the value-chain, such as up-scaling of recycling processes and effective sorting.