TEXAID, in partnership with Coop and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, will launch the “Texcycle” research project. The goal of the project is to create a new upcycling raw material that can be used in a number of different fields. With the “Texcycle” project, TEXAID hopes to help “close the loop” on textile recycling.

Every year, TEXAID collects around 36,000 tonnes of used clothes in Switzerland. The company then ensures these garments are recycled in an environmentally beneficial manner. Approximately 65 % of the collected textiles land in the second-hand clothes market. The rest are clothes which are no longer fit to be worn. These garments are downcycled into rags, insulation or shoddy. “Texcycle” seeks to highlight the qualities of these materials so they can be put to better use, such as for the fabrication of high-quality products. By doing so, “used textile” raw materials will be more sustainable than ever.

Further information available in the press release