Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKSTextile recycling – a global challenge
The textile industry is facing an unresolved disposal crisis with enormous resource loss.
RoboTex – Robotics solution for sustainable sorting and handling of old textiles
The EU is expected to generate 8.5–9 million tonnes of waste textiles by 2030, of which less than 1% is currently recycled into high-quality ‘fibre-to-fibre’ products. ‘Fibre-to-fibre’ refers to a closed loop in which old textile fibres are turned into new, spinnable fibres – unlike downcycling, in which used textiles are processed into low-value products (e.g. cleaning cloths, insulation materials). However, the majority is currently landfilled or incinerated, while new fibres have to be produced at great expense for new textiles. Textile recycling as a central part of the circular economy can save considerable amounts of water and CO2 emissions from this primary production.
The bottleneck: manual sorting at its limits
An important factor in the textile cycle is the sorting process. Currently, the sorting of used textiles is predominantly manual – this is cost-intensive, error-prone and not scalable for growing amounts of waste. Automation offers great potential for increasing profitability here, but there are still technical hurdles to overcome. Unlike plastics, for example, textiles are almost always flexible and should not be altered if possible in order to preserve the fibre length. This requires the automated sorting process to be adapted to the flexibility and nature of the used textiles. In addition, the diversity of textiles in terms of shape, size, material and condition places high demands on classification and sorting technologies.
From textile waste to recyclable material: How Fraunhofer IWKS ensures RoboTex's ecological footprint
In the RoboTex project, we contribute our expertise in the field of sustainability assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of using robotics in the processing and sorting of used textiles.
Our focus areas in detail:
- Management of sustainability assessment: We integrate ecological assessment standards directly into the development process to ensure ecologically sound optimisation of the RoboTex system.
- Quantification of environmental effects: We precisely measure savings in energy, CO₂, water and resources. High-quality recycling can save up to 20,000 litres of water and four tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of textiles – we validate these effects for the new system.
- Scaling and scenario analysis: We evaluate the impact of the technology during the transition from pilot project to industrial scale in order to ensure long-term economic viability and ecological sustainability.
- Design for circularity: We develop recommendations on how textile products can be optimised for easier recycling at the design stage, taking into account social aspects of the value chain.
- Holistic optimisation: We ensure that the solution is not only technically convincing, but also functions as an ecologically and economically groundbreaking infrastructure for the circular economy.
Expected project results:
- AI-supported sorting cell: Development of a functional unit with adaptive, textile-friendly grippers and cooperative robotics for automated separation.
- Multimodal sensor system: Intelligent sensor technology for precise detection of material composition, condition and foreign objects as a basis for high-quality recycling.
- Quantitative environmental balance: A sound database that proves the ecological advantages of automated sorting over manual sorting.
- Roadmap for scaling: A strategic guide to industrial piloting that serves as a blueprint for further material flows in the circular economy.
The Federal Ministry of Research, Space and Technology (BMFTR) is funding the project within the funding measure "Digital GreenTech - environmental technology meets robotics" which contributes to the BMFTR Strategy “Research for Sustainability (FONA)". www.fona.de.
