Strengthening innovative textile circularity in Europe’s regions

In the framework of the European Green Deal, RegioGreenTex is a project promoting the collaboration in research and development for the textile industry to establish a systematic circular economy business model across the EU.

Objetives

1. MAP NEEDS
Map the needs and potentiality in the implementation of a circular economy among European regions and clusters and their different levels of economic development.
2. BUILD ECOSYSTEM
Build a dynamic recycling textile ecosystem at European level by making demand and offer meet on a shared digital platform.
3. SUPPORT SMEs
Support SMEs pilot projects to accelerate the creation, development and use of new textile materials with increased recycled content by sharing technologies and methodologies.
4. CREATE HUBS
Create five regional textile recycling hubs in line with the ReHubs initiative and consistent with the EU textile strategy and with the needs of SMEs.
5. GENERATE INVESTMENT
RegioGreenTex ultimately aims at generating investment opportunities at regional level beyond the project.
 

Partners

RegioGreenTex promotes the collaboration in research and development between 43 partners from the four major sectors of society – industry, government, research institutes, and the public – for the textile industry. Partners come from 11 regions in 8 European countries:

– Flanders (BE)
– East Netherlands (NL)
– Hauts-de-France & Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (FR)
– Piedmont & Tuscany (IT)
– Norte Portugal (PT)
– North East Romania (RO)
– Catalunya & Valencia (ES)
– Västra Götaland (SE)

Circular economy for technical textile waste- By Hilaturas Arnau

Hilaturas Arnau aim is the development of a flame-retardant yarn based on recycled content with improved technical properties (as close as possible to the virgin ones), applying for seats used in public transports and public areas as cinema, for example. The pilot will focus on the usage and optimization of recycled para-aramid yarns, where we will address two key issues within this pilot:

- First is related with tensile strength properties because using recycled content properties are not the same than raw materials; needs to be improved.
- and, other is related with color – para-aramid presents a yellow color and sometimes is visible by the exterior fabric used in seats and needs to be changed by other colours keeping same original properties.

In both cases, the recycled yarn should maintain fire-resistance properties since some preliminary tests with UHMWPE has shown good properties but missing all the fire resistance properties since UHMWPE is flammable.

Hence, Hilaturas Arnau will develop different compositions of yarns based on recycled para-aramid by combining with other fibers such as Vectran, Nexylon, meta-aramid, as well as using mechanical treatments to the yarn such as twisting. The final product will be a recycled product which is based on para-aramid with good fire-resistance properties, increased mechanical properties, and cut resistance for being able to pass final product standards and with the desired colour.

Objective: produce technical yarns made with shredded/crushed waste from disused bulletproof vests and garments, fabric and yarn remains keeping the most closed properties as a first choice product.