The Key: Chemical recycling of polyester in fibre blends as a key enabler for a holistic, circular textile economy

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Today, textiles are often made of blended fabrics. Until now, it has not been possible to recycle several types of fibres simultaneously to a high standard.

In the ‘The Key’ project, eight partners from industry and research are working on a circular solution for polyester/cotton blended fabrics. The aim is to optimally combine mechanical and chemical recycling processes in order to recover both types of fibres to a high standard.

A key innovation is the revolTEX® process, which regenerates polyester PET monomers and processes them into primary fibre quality. At the same time, the gentle recovery of cotton is being advanced – the cellulose can be used for the new production of high-quality textiles. Another focus is on ‘design with circularity’: Textiles are designed to remain recyclable as often as possible. The aim is to create durable, recyclable textiles that can go through the recycling cycle multiple times.

The project focuses on energy-efficient, integrated processes. The advantages are: reduction of textile waste, climate protection, conservation of resources and marketable recycling of polyester in fibre blends.

As part of ‘The Key’, ifeu is preparing a comparative life cycle assessment between a conventional and an innovative example textile. From this, it derives conclusions and recommendations for stakeholders along the textile life cycle and for policymakers.

The project is running under the BMFTR funding guideline ‘Resource-efficient circular economy – Circular sustainable textiles: Development of holistic, practical solutions for closing the loop in the textile industry’ as part of the Strategy for Research for Sustainability (FONA) and is making a decisive contribution to a sustainable, recyclable textile industry.