A new EU-funded project has been launched to develop a deposit return scheme (DRS) for post-consumer textiles across Europe.
The DRS project, known as TexMat, will reward consumers for returning reusable and recyclable items, while notifying producers when discarded textiles require waste management.
As part of the DRS, automated collection containers will sort items by assessing their quality and capturing information about the materials through digital product passports, which are set to be introduced across the EU.
The initiative is funded by a €6 million investment from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
Pilot activities in Finland and Spain are set to launch to test the system in real-world settings.
Elina Ilén, TexMat Project Leader at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, commented: “TexMat solution has great potential to transform the collection and resale of used but still valuable garments, supporting second-hand markets while enabling consumers to monetise their textiles.”
“Automated collection and sorting will also support textile waste management operators by quickly and accurately separating garments suitable for reuse from those destined for disposal, reducing reliance on manual work.”
The initiative, which runs until March 2029, brings together 14 partners from seven EU countries. This includes researchers and academics from various universities and industry partners who cover the full textile value chain.
The Estonian company Protex Balti is collaborating on integrating a digital product passport into garments. While the Spanish companies Rovimatica and STAM SRL, and the Italian company IRIS Technology Solutions are working together to develop the smart container and related digital tools.
