SOLSTICE

✨ What an incredible week!  Last week we won a new prize 🥇 in recognition of our innovative recycling process and its scale-up: the ‘Hope’ Trophy at Les Trophées européens de la mode circulaire 🏆♻️✂️, organised by Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL), l’ADEME and Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai.  Thanks to the jury, including Refashion , The Good Goods, CETI Transformative Textiles, Centexbel, EuraMaterials... Thanks to the public for their support 💚 #innovation #Recycling #Polyester #Textiles #YesWeChem #Environment  #Sustainable #Industry #circularfashion #sustainablefashion #responsiblefashion ***** ✨ Quelle semaine incroyable ! La semaine dernière nous avons remporté un nouveau prix 🥇 venant récompenser notre procédé innovant de recyclage et sa montée en échelle : Trophée "Espoir" aux Les Trophées européens de la mode circulaire 🏆♻️✂️, organisés par la Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL), l’ADEME et Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai.  Merci au jury, notamment Refashion , The Good Goods, CETI Transformative Textiles, Centexbel, EuraMaterials... Merci au public pour son soutien 💚 #innovation #Recycling #Polyester #Textiles #YesWeChem #Environment #Sustainable #Industry #modecirculaire #modedurable #moderesponsable

Are you passionate about advancing climate-neutral and circular practices in the textile industry? Would you like to stay informed about the latest updates from the SOLSTICE project? SOLSTICE tackles key social and technical challenges by developing four scalable solutions to promote climate-neutral and circular practices in the textile sector, guided by a comprehensive 5R strategy: Refuse/Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Recycle. Demonstrations across four EU cities and regions will serve as living labs, enabling us to test and refine these innovative approaches. 🏙️ 📧 Sign up for our biannual newsletter! The next issue will be out this spring. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay in the loop ⬇ https://lnkd.in/d6ayEGTx

The textile industry faces significant sustainability challenges, particularly in reducing waste and fostering circularity. A critical barrier is the lack of infrastructure to support the Repair, Reuse, and Repurposing of textiles, limiting citizens’ capacity to adopt circular practices ♻️ In response, as part of the SOLSTICE Project, Circle Economy has conducted an analysis of the current circular textiles ecosystem across four European territories: Grenoble-Alpes Métropole, Berlin, Prato, and Catalonia. Each region offers unique characteristics and expertise that contribute to a shared vision for a circular economy, underpinned by the 5Rs: Reuse, Repair, Refuse/Reduce, Recycle, and Repurpose 🔄 Key insights from this analysis include: 🔸Consumer behaviours related to sustainability awareness and purchasing habits 🔸Region-specific strategies to integrate circular practices within local textile sectors 🔸Future directions for assessing the social, environmental, and spatial impacts of circular textile initiatives This foundational work paves the way for developing targeted interventions that will shape the SOLSTICE pilots, driving meaningful progress in the textile sector. Discover more about the analysis and upcoming steps ⬇ https://lnkd.in/dyAwCBjs

This morning, our project coordinator Estelle DALOD (PhD) from Axel'One, presented the SOLSTICE project at the 11th ECOSYSTEX Insight Series! Estelle presented the recently launched SOLSTICE initiative, highlighting its focus on innovative 5R solutions (Refuse/Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Recycle), its strategic objectives for advancing sustainability in the textile value chain, and an overview of the project's methodology and structure💡 Watch the presentation⬇

Today, following the SOLSTICE project meeting in Amsterdam, Netherlands, we had the fantastic opportunity to visit the United Repair Centre, thanks to our consortium partner, Circle Economy. The day began with two presentations from Circle Economy and the United Repair Centre, who respectively discussed their activities in helping businesses toward more sustainability, and their social and circular economy business model. It was followed by a tour of the United Repair Centre facilities, where we observed their repair processes in action. The visit concluded with an engaging sewing workshop where the SOLSTICE partners learnt about different sewing techniques to repair their own clothes and textile products. A big thank you to Circle Economy for organising this event and to the United Repair Centre for hosting us and showcasing your work! 🌟

We just concluded our second SOLSTICE project meeting in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and what a fantastic opportunity to share the latest updates and progress with the entire consortium! 🤝 During this two-day meeting, we examined the first maps developed from the regional profiles, providing valuable insights into local contexts and infrastructure. We also explored specific material requirements, necessary for effective recycling and sorting processes, and reviewed the characterisation of samples, which will play a critical role in refining our methodologies and advancing the project's objectives💡 On the second day, we conducted several workshops addressing the specific challenges of setting up the 4 regional pilots, exploring the unique needs and complexities of each territory. Another workshop focused on the key priorities and challenges for each region regarding the development of the future tool that will be simulating scenarios to optimise feedstock; whereas two other workshop covered various aspects of the project to ensure progress across all areas: mineral textile profile, sorting of multilayer textiles, and resources scarcity. Thank you Circle Economy for welcoming us in your city!

The first phase of work for the SOLSTICE project is now in progress, with Recyc'Elit🌍 leading the efforts at the pilot site. This phase is a crucial step in refining the process and working towards the development of a PET recycling demonstrator as the project’s final deliverable ♻️ Currently, Recyc'Elit🌍 is in the startup phase, setting the foundation for innovative solutions in PET recycling that align with circular economy principles.

On 6 November 2024, our project partner the Government of Catalonia, through its Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, organised a seminar to mark the second anniversary of their Circular Fashion Agreement. This initiative promotes a voluntary commitment to accelerate the textile sector's transition toward a circular model, adopting a holistic approach that unites public and private stakeholders across the textile value chain. Since its launch in 2022 with 55 members, the Circular Fashion Agreement has grown to include over 120 participants, all dedicated to achieving shared global and sector-specific goals for advancing circularity. The SOLSTICE project actively supports the realisation of these objectives through its targeted actions and innovative contributions.

This week, SOLSTICE project partners Textile ETP and TECHTERA participated in the 4th International Conference on Circular Economy in Textiles and Plastics, held in Ostend. The project was showcased through a presentation by Clara Leclaire from Techtera, who explained how SOLSTICE's activities are enhancing circular economy practices in the textile industry.

Join is on 29 November for the 11th edition of our Insights Series, where we will be gaining valuable insights into the innovative projects that are shaping the future of textile sustainability and circularity within the community.    For this webinar, we will welcome: ♻️ WhiteCycle who will present life cycle assessments as a tool to support textile recycling decisions 💡 SOLSTICE, who will introduce their project about developing 5R solutions for a circular textile economy. 👕 CISUTAC, who will present their mid-project results on circular and sustainable textiles and clothing, including their work on circular business models 🌿 HEREWEAR, who will discuss the feasibility of an EU-based bio-based textile sector. Register now ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eywzmVJN