Chief Sustainability & Impact Officer, Resortecs, Belgium
Resortecs is an award-winning scale-up that develops technology to empower active textile disassembly, sorting, and recycling – driving full circularity and sustainability in the fashion industry without trade-off.
To give context to all of our readers, why is circular fashion needed? Could you describe the scenario of fashion in Europe?
The textile industry is the world’s fourth most polluting sector, generating 1.2 B tons of CO2 per year (10% of the global emissions). The sector is responsible for 20% of water pollution and is ranked as fourth in terms of resource needs. An EU citizen consumes ~26 kg of textile & generates 11 kg of waste per year. Yet, only 1% of the textile production is recycled, largely because of the complexity of disassembly – a mandatory pre-recycling process.
Recycling clothes is a complicated business. Making fabrics new again isn’t the only challenge – the threads, zippers, and buttons that hold them together need to be separated from the valuable recyclable fabric ahead of any recycling process. Multi-material textile products are an end-of-life problem for the industry. Each material is unique and requires a specific recycling process. The different materials must be separated, so that they can be re-used in their pure, qualitative form. Efficient disassembly is a critical lever to unlock textile recycling.
The intricate and costly nature of disassembly and recycling processes in the fashion industry often drives brands towards unsustainable practices, such as landfill disposal or incineration, for the remaining 99% of their products. Unfortunately, textile items are not engineered with disassembly in mind, leading to inefficient, complex, and expensive solutions. Whether through manual labor or mechanical methods, as much as 52% of the original fabric material is lost in the disassembly process alone. Moreover, the ongoing challenge of separating recyclable from non-recyclable content further compounds the issue, resulting in an astonishing loss of €432 billion worth of material annually within the textile industry.
Could you describe the solutions that Resortecs developed in order to make circular fashion easier?
Resortecs simplifies textile recycling for the entire fashion industry with two eco-design solutions:
1- Smart Stitch™: a range of bio-based threads that disappear under very specific heat conditions. Fashion brands use the threads in the seams to attach the different components of textile products (e.g. zippers, buttons, lining & outer fabric). The threads look and perform just like regular threads, they can be washed, ironed, and tumble-dried. The magic part: when it's time for repair or recycling, they disappear under heat, allowing the automatic sorting of recyclable and non-recyclable parts, sending each type of material to the appropriate waste stream.
2- Smart Disassembly™: industrial thermal systems specifically designed to make Smart Stitch™ threads disappear without damaging the main fabrics of textile products. Sorters and recyclers use these systems to dismantle products up to 15x faster than manual disassembly (a mandatory step ahead of the recycling of over 78% of the world's fashion production). These systems have been specifically designed to consume very little energy, reusing the heat generated for their activity and generating fewer CO2 equivalents. The magic part: the lack of oxygen inside the chambers allows the fabrics to withstand temperatures that would normally incinerate them, without damage.
Smart Stitch™ allows brands to make products designed for repair and recycling with a simple thread change. Smart Disassembly™ allows sorters and recyclers to automatically sort and remove the elements that would impede textile recycling.
Combined, these two innovations close the loop at the scale the industry requires and at the pace Earth needs.
Regarding these mentioned solutions, how are new technologies improving the way the company works?
New technologies are revolutionizing our operations in several key ways. Firstly, through the Internet of Things (IoT), we're enhancing traceability and transparency across our supply chain, ensuring accountability at every stage. Secondly, advanced sorting technologies are significantly reducing errors in the sorting process, optimizing efficiency and yields and minimizing waste. Lastly, cutting-edge recycling technologies are expanding our capabilities, allowing us to recycle textile products that were previously unattainable. These advancements not only improve our operational efficiency but also align with our commitment to sustainability and innovation in the textile industry.
Could you tell us about the new ecodesign regulation of the EU? How will this regulation improve the way that you work?
The new Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will make sustainable products the norm by establishing a framework through which the European Commission will be empowered to set ecodesign requirements for individual product categories. It also prohibits the destruction of unsold textile goods. The ESPR was proposed by the European Commission in March 2022, and is expected to be finalised by the end of 2024. Flowing from the ESPR, a legislative act regulating textile products specifically will be adopted between 2024 and 2027, introducing new sustainability performance and information requirements. It will also introduce a mandatory Digital Product Passport for textile products.
Textiles manufacturers will need to integrate new ecodesign requirements for textiles into their business models and production processes. These requirements will relate to durability, reusability, upgradability, repairability, recyclability, substances of concern, resource efficiency, recycled content, high-quality recycling, and environmental and carbon footprints.
Resortecs’ Smart Stitch™ and Smart Disassembly™ enable ecodesigned products through active disassembly, which unlocks material recovery as well as textile reuse, upcycling, and high-quality recycling. The ESPR regulation will empower solutions like ours to scale up and become the norm.
Finally, how does your team project the growth of different companies with similar focus?
Our team envisions significant growth for companies with a similar focus, especially those championing circular solutions. As the demand for sustainable and responsible production increases, businesses committed to circularity will thrive. By prioritizing responsible consumption and production practices while respecting social justice and staying within the Earth's boundaries, these companies will not only experience economic growth but also contribute to a healthier planet and society. It's an exciting time for the industry, and we're optimistic about the positive impact these companies will continue to make in the future.
On the other hand, companies diverging from these objectives and focuses will encounter significant hurdles in the near future, such as limited access to raw and recycled materials, market entry barriers, prolonged lead times, and costly ERP fees.
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