The textile industry is facing enormous challenges. Fiber-based products and textiles are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, high resource consumption and microplastic pollution. To address these problems, researchers from the University of Konstanz, RWTH Aachen University and the German Institute for Textile and Fiber Technology Denkendorf have launched the cooperation project “Textile Materials Designed for Circularity” (teXirc). The project is supported by the Volkswagen Foundation with 1.4 million euros as part of the “Circularity with recycled and biogenic resources” funding initiative.

teXirc's main goal is to develop novel synthetic fibers and textiles from sustainable raw materials. These materials should be industrially produced, easy to process and, above all, recyclable. Particular attention is paid to degradation during washing processes because the new materials are designed to be degradable in an environmentally friendly way. This is achieved through a special design of the materials with polyethylene-like crystallinity and functional groups that form molecular breaking points to enzymatically break the carbon chains.

Goals and challenges of the circular economy

Creating a circular economy is not only necessary in the textile industry. The consumption of resources in industrialized countries and economic growth in developing and emerging countries are dramatically aggravating the situation. There is an urgent need to decouple economic growth from the consumption of natural resources. Increasing resource efficiency is seen as a possible solution. The aim is to make products and resources usable for longer through repair, reuse and recycling. This concept is promoted by the federal government in order to create sustainable economic conditions.

Research fields within the circular economy include a variety of aspects, from the efficient use of rare raw materials to the health promotion of the water cycle. This research is crucial to sustainably meet the increasing demand for resources while minimizing environmental impact.

Innovations and future prospects

Innovations in materials research are a central part of these efforts. Examples of successfully tested products include circularly designed smartphones as well as modules for electric vehicles and plastic recycling technologies. In addition, the bioeconomy plays an important role by using biological resources and knowledge for sustainable processes and products. Research questions aim, among other things, at limiting the effects of climate change and ensuring food security for a growing global population.

The teXirc project is led by a team of prominent scientists: Prof. Stefan Mecking from the University of Konstanz, Prof. Ulrich Schwaneberg from RWTH Aachen and Prof. Michael Buchmeister from the German Institute for Textile and Fiber Technology Denkendorf. Her research aims to bring the developed materials and recycling processes to prototype maturity in order to ultimately implement them into products and thus sustainably transform the textile industry.

These joint efforts not only reduce the ecological footprint of textile production, but also pave a path towards a more sustainable economy. The WWF emphasizes that a crucial success factor for implementing the circular economy in the textile industry is collaboration between research, industry and consumers. Further information on the challenges and opportunities of this transformation can be found on the website of WWF to find.

The urgency to develop more sustainable materials for the textile industry is now indispensable. The coming years will be crucial in achieving the goals set and bringing about real change in the industry through innovative approaches. Information about current research can be found in the research atlas on the circular economy.