TODAY’S LINEAR SYSTEM

Today’s linear system of «take – make – waste» needs to change. New textiles are produced, used and discarded instead of putting them to a second use. The production of new textiles requires natural resources that are limited, and the current system has a significant negative impact on our planet. The transition to a circular system, where garments are kept in use for longer, is an opportunity to harness untapped potential around customer loyalty, economic growth, and ecological sustainability.

To move away from the linear system and enable products to be made out of post-consumer textile waste, TEXAID decided to invest in the textile-to-textile recycling and product development.

COLLABORATION ENABLES RECYCLING

After two years of research, product development, and most important, building partnerships in the value chain, TEXAID has been able to develop a fabric made of 100 % recycled fiber in close collaboration with our value chain partners.

The fabric is a blend of 50 % post-consumer textile waste which we, TEXAID, have collected in Germany and Switzerland. White cotton textiles which cannot be worn, have been sorted out in our sorting facility in Apolda, Germany. The other 50% is made from ocean-bound plastic waste which is plastic with a high risk of entering the ocean which has been saved and recycled by Unifi. The fabric and bag have been produced in Italy. The cotton material has been shredded by Marchi & Fildi in Biella, IT, who then spun the recycled cotton and recycled polyester fibers into a yarn. This yarn has been woven into a fabric by Tessitura Casoni.T.F.C.

Through this proof of concept, we have showcased that making fabrics of 100 % recycled content and with 50 % of post-consumer textiles is possible. We, as well, were able to do this in Europe with a strong focus on transparency and traceability in mind.

We want to foster and enable the production of more products with post-consumer textile waste. TEXAID is looking for strong industry partners to push high-value textile to textile recycling technologies in joint projects like these.

TEXAID

TEXAID offers customized solutions to enable circular textile value chains. With over 40 years of experience, TEXAID is a trusted solution provider for collection, sorting, resale, and recycling of pre- and post-consumer textiles and footwear. Over 1’000 employees process more than 280 million items (around 80,000 tons) of end-of-use textiles and shoes throughout Europe and the USA each year

MARCHI & FILDI S.p.a

Marchi & Fildi was born in 2007 through the fusion of the two companies Filatura Marchi and Filatura Fildi, owned by the families Marchi and Dissegna. Filidea is the youngest company of the Group, it was born in 2008.

The Marchi & Fildi Group's proposal for the fashion world consists of linear or circular knitting, weaving and hosiery. The distinguishing element in the collections is the focus on sustainability, which starts with the selection of the raw materials and finishes with the Ecotec® brand owned by Marchi & Fildi. The Filidea brand presents an assortment of natural, sustainable, and certified yarns designed for the high-quality market sector. Filidea, with the brand Filidea Technical Yarns, is also specialised in the production and development of technical yarns intended for protective and work clothing, for the automotive industry and various industrial uses.

Sustainable innovation has always represented a fundamental pillar for the Group. The Research and Development pilot plant and the modern dyeing mill with lower environmental impact, joined with the continuous collaboration with universities, research centers and several partners for the development of special projects. Today, with the entry of the third generation of entrepreneurs, Marchi & Fildi S.p.a is a group of mills which is known internationally, and which has a constant rate of growth.

TESSITURA CASONI

T.F.C. was founded in 1989 as a third-party weaving mill, collaborating with important Biella wool mills. Over the years, T.F.C. started developing collaborations to create technical fabrics, in particular filters for dedusting and flame-retardant fabrics. All this experience has led us to know and work with new fibers, focusing strongly on this know-how and interacting directly with our customers for the study and production of innovative articles.