The pilot test of the Recicolor project has successfully showed that recycled dyes from textile waste can be reused when dyeing new fabrics and clothes.
A major problem for the textile industry is that the dyes and other chemicals derived from the textile dyeing process end up as textile waste effluents. Today these effluents cannot be sorted with simple methods, thus having a high environmental impact. The effluents contain a large amount of organic chemicals and colouring agents, coupled with a high salinity. They also have a low biodegradability .
Currently, in Europe, 108 million tonnes of polluting effluents are produced each year, containing 36 million auxiliary chemicals. In this context, the Recicolor project was born to promote a cleaner and environmentally friendly fashion industry, based on the implementation of new textile dyeing techniques. A project that has just completed its pilot test with surprising results.
The completion of the first pilot test of the Recicolor project shows that dyes recycled from textile waste can be re-incorporated into the value chain and re-used in new dyeing processes. The results indicate an innovative, effective, and sustainable manufacturing process for the textile sector – promoting the sector’s transition towards a circular economy.
About the Recicolor project
The project has been led by the MODACC Catalan Fashion Cluster with the support of ACCIÓ. It has has been developed in the facilities of the Escorpion company, with the technical support of the FITEX technology center, the participation of the University of Lleida and the technical collaboration of Officina+39. The latter is a state-of-the-art Italian chemical company specialising in sustainable trends for the textile industry. Officina+39 has created a new wool-based fabric dyeing process, based on Recycrom ™, a dye recycled from textile waste.
