CISUTAC will tackle current bottlenecks in the transition to circular textiles and clothing. For scale and significance, we focus on polyester, cotton & cellulosic fibres (together ca. 90% of textile materials) and products from 3 sub-sectors: garments, active goods and workwear. In this way, we will have a representative view on the challenges the textile sector is facing for circular transition. CISUTAC follows a holistic approach covering the technical, sectoral and socio-economic levels. We will provide systemic innovations at these levels and perform 3 pilots to demonstrate their feasibility and value: (i) Repair and disassembly; (ii) Sorting for reuse and recycling; (iii) Circular garments through fibre to fibre recycling and design for circularity. To realise these pilots, we will develop semi-automated workstations, analyse infrastructure and material flow, digitally enhance sorting operations and setup interventions with consumers. After the piloting phase, attention will be on the uptake of the results, by the sector, by the wider stakeholder group as well by the consumers. With (worldwide) leading brands and companies, CSOs, RTOs and EU associations, CISUTAC is truly EU-wide and covers the full novel circular value chain. Through the consortium, and further supported by the Transition Support Group with zz members, CISUTAC is strongly linked to ongoing initiatives allowing synergies and joint activities. This is essential for our implementation but also for leveraging the impact and enabling the shift towards a sustainable EU textiles & clothing, underpinned by circular material flows and supported by the wider stakeholders. CISUTAC will bring significant impact of scale via its innovations on repair, dismantling, sorting and fibre-to-fibre recycling. Realising this impact will lead to a reduction of ca. 975ktonCO2eq yearly and to new business activities and markets that together have a value of ca. €250mio and lead to ca. 1300 FTE, also social economy.

Circula-TEX, with its multidisciplinary approach, aims to support the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles by facilitating the redesign of textile value chains through the adoption of a circular approach and ensuring compliance with the expectations of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and European directives. The project will delve into the failures and gaps in the current textile value chain, particularly in terms of technological, environmental, economic, legal, and social aspects, and will explore the effectiveness of EPR schemes and other technological and non-technological measures to maximize the sustainability of the textile sector. The project will employ co-creation approaches to engage all stakeholders in the value chain and relevant case studies to develop actionable recommendations for circular textile management. These recommendations will include solutions to enhance the scalability of textile recycling and reuse through eco-design strategies, efficient systems for material composition identification and labeling to support textile collection and sorting, as well as traceability of information, and innovative approaches for reuse and waste treatment. Circula-TEX aims to provide evidence-based criteria for the harmonized implementation of EPR schemes and associated policies across the Member States. An innovative labeling system, in line with the Digital Product Passport and Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation directive(ESPR), will be developed to provide consumers, waste collectors, and reuse/recycling organizations with valuable practical information and promote reuse and the uptake of secondary materials in the market. The findings, initially applied and validated across four case studies, are expected to be expanded and replicated in various textile market segments and EU countries.