Technical infrastructure and expertise for textile recycling

Our infrastructure covers the full textile recycling value chain — from circular strategy and material pre-treatment to mechanical, thermomechanical and chemical textile recycling, as well as testing and OEKO-TEX certification of recycled textile products.

Our textile recycling offer includes:

• Strategy, analysis and circular design
• Material pre-treatment
• Chemical, mechanical and thermomechanical recycling
• Product development from proof of concept to prototype
• Verification, testing and certification

Strategy, analysis and circular design

Effective textile recycling starts at the design stage. We support companies in developing circular textile strategies, improving recyclability and ensuring long-term traceability.

Our expertise includes:

• Circular design for textile recycling
• Recyclability assessment of textile products
• Material selection compatible with recycling infrastructure
• Preparation for digital product passports and ecodesign requirements

Material pre-treatment for textile recycling

Pre-treatment is critical for efficient recycling processes. Our textile recycling infrastructure includes:

• Textile shredding and size reduction
• Removal of hazardous or unwanted substances
• De-colorization processes
• Material sorting and characterization

Pre-treatment methods are adapted to fibre composition and the selected recycling technology.

Mechanical textile recycling

We offer pilot and demonstration capacity for mechanical textile recycling, including:

• Shredding and fibre opening
• Carding and fibre alignment
• Yarn spinning from recycled fibres
• Nonwoven production

Our services include material purity assessment, fibre analysis, mechanical property testing and certification guidance for recycled textiles.

hermomechanical recycling of textiles

Thermomechanical recycling is primarily applied to thermoplastic fibres such as polyester.

Our capabilities include:

• Washing and melt filtration
• Thermal and rheological analysis
• Melt spinning of recycled mono- and multi-component fibres
• Blending recycled and virgin polymers

This enables controlled reprocessing of polyester-based textile waste into new fibre products.

Chemical textile recycling

We provide infrastructure and expertise in chemical textile recycling, enabling depolymerization and recovery of polymers from mixed or degraded textile materials.

Our chemical recycling services include:

• Recyclability testing of polyester-based textiles
• Depolymerization process development
• Reactor-scale recycling trials
• Polymer and fibre analysis
• Repolymerization and material regeneration

Chemical recycling allows recovery of high-quality raw materials suitable for new textile production.

Product development using recycled textile materials

We support product development from proof of concept to prototype using recycled fibres and polymers.

This includes:

• Development of knitted textiles and nonwoven materials
• Composite materials with recycled textile inputs
• Optimization of material performance and processability

Our goal is to ensure recycled textile materials meet functional, durability and regulatory requirements.

Testing and OEKO-TEX®  certification for recycled textiles

RISE offers advanced textile testing, material characterization and OEKO-TEX® certification for recycled textile products.

Testing includes:

• Fibre and polymer composition analysis
• Mechanical performance testing
• Thermal and chemical profiling
• Detection of contaminants and restricted substances

As a certified OEKO-TEX® institute, we support certification according to STANDARD 100, MADE IN GREEN, STeP and other OEKO-TEX® programmes. This ensures that recycled textile products meet high standards of safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

Your ideas are safe with us

We protect your innovations through proper intellectual property management and clear non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

Tailored collaborations for textile innovation

RISE offers both individual services and long-term partnerships to support companies in transitioning to sustainable and circular textile products.

Whether you need testing, certification, analysis, or a comprehensive collaboration throughout the development journey, we adapt our support to your needs. We also assist with research applications and joint projects, including support in preparing and applying for EU-funded research and innovation projects, as well as advisory support for national funding programmes.

Do you have questions about textile recycling? Contact us.