Our

Goal

The TexMat project is piloting a deposit-return system for used textiles, rewarding consumers for reusable and recyclable items, while notifying responsible producers when discarded textiles require proper waste management. The technologies integrated into the automated collection containers not only assist with pre-sorting and assessing the quality of discarded items but also capture data on material properties, production year, and circularity journey, enabled by the use of digital product passports (DPP).

The project builds on mandatory textile collection and extended producer responsibility (EPR) to tackle textile waste and its environmental impacts, as evidenced by life cycle sustainability assessments (LCSA). Scientists, innovators, and practitioners from 14 project partners in seven EU countries are collaborating to develop business models, technologies, and policy tools that engage consumers through economic incentives linked to second-hand markets. The TexMat solution aims to extend product lifecycles, support targeted EPR schemes, and accelerate a consumer-driven transition to a circular textile economy, contributing to EU greenhouse gas reduction targets and industrial sustainability.

Funding & Programme Info

The project “TexMat: Automated Collection and Sorting Solution for Consumer Textiles” is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency can be held responsible for them.