tExtended
We strive to enhance our performance in all business operations with respect to sustainability. We are proud to participate in the EU Horizon Europe project named tExtended, which aims to develop effective textile recovery and recycling processes. Tally Weijl is committed to staying abreast of new developments and innovations that will enable us to become more sustainable. Finding recycling solutions for textile waste is a pressing European and global challenge. Currently, it is estimated that less than 1% of textiles are recycled. Given that the European Commission has identified textiles as a priority for the circular economy, it is crucial to expand technologies and infrastructure that support this business model.
The tExtended project's primary goal is to reduce textile waste by 80% through industrial-urban symbiosis. This will be achieved by developing and demonstrating effective textile recovery, waste valorization, and recycling processes, complemented by digital tools, sensing systems, and data-driven solutions to support the sustainable circularity of textiles.
The project commenced on December 1st, 2022, and will run for 48 months. It aims to introduce an innovative approach to recycling textile waste by developing a Blueprint—a knowledge-based masterplan for the optimized cycling of discarded textiles. This Blueprint will outline the processes for implementing a circular textile ecosystem and enable the replication of tExtended solutions in various areas, particularly focusing on business opportunities that emerge from circular systems and innovations that are environmentally and socially sustainable. tExtended prioritizes the end-of-life and recycling of discarded textiles throughout the entire cycle, from collection to the manufacturing of new products. The project also involves local community actors, ensuring the model's feasibility and the continuous flow of second-hand textile material.
The knowledge generated by tExtended on circular economy applications in the textile industry will create new business opportunities, enhancing competitiveness and resilience through sustainability and digitalization. This will accelerate the green and digital transformation in the European textile industry.
Led by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the tExtended consortium includes 20 partners from 10 different European countries, featuring experts in textile waste, circular economy, recycling, and sustainability. Tally Weijl serves as an end-user of the new recycled materials developed in the project. We will design and manufacture new garments using these materials, assessing their performance, quality, and compliance within the fashion sector. Additionally, Tally Weijl is part of the Industrial Exploitation Group, which will help develop the project's Exploitation Plan, bringing our insights into the fashion business model and the challenges of moving towards a more circular approach, reshaping and/or creating new value chains.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101091575 and from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
