Approximately 73% of materials entering the global clothing system end up in landfills or are incinerated. TEXroad aims to address this issue, recognizing that a significant portion of these textiles is still usable and could be recycled into new products.
TexRoad
Data-Driven Solution for Circular Textiles
Circular economy
Finished
At the time of carrying out this project, Accelerate had a wider goal of supporting public/private partnerships, which later evolved to a more narrow focus on unlocking new markets by overcoming regulatory barriers.
Introduction
Problem
Pressure is mounting to develop sustainable solutions for textile recycling as demand grows for economically viable recycling methods and the transition from a linear to a circular economy accelerates. This challenge is made even more pressing by the upcoming EU mandate requiring separate textile collection by 2025 and the urgent need to meet ambitious energy and climate targets.
This shift places an onus on governments to implement infrastructure, policies, and partnerships that can handle increased textile recycling volumes efficiently, helping to reduce environmental impact and support the circular economy framework
Solution
To tackle this problem, TEXroad is developing a sector-specific interoperable digital infrastructure. This infrastructure will facilitate the secure exchange of fundamental textile data among key stakeholders, including the public sector, industry, and academia. Unlike a one-size-fits-all standard or platform, this infrastructure enables different standards and platforms to communicate effectively.
End Goal
The goal is to streamline data flow within the textile sector, equipping the state with a comprehensive overview of textile movement and helping meet recycling commitments efficiently. This enhanced data access supports more targeted policy-making and provides the industry with insights for informed decision-making and new market opportunities. Through this initiative, Estonia is poised to lead in circular textiles, setting a benchmark for data-driven sustainability.
Outcome
TEXRoad engaged public and private sector stakeholders, collecting and disseminating data to enhance access to circular economy opportunities and facilitate regulatory compliance and funding availability.
The standardized data flow enabled more accurate statistics and near-real-time access to information. In collaboration with Uuskasutuskeskus, Humana, and Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto, data on textile composition and supply chains was gathered.
The creation of a single digital dashboard allowed local municipalities and the Ministry of the Environment to monitor the movement of textile flows. The results of the experiment demonstrated that standardized data effectively supports the creation of new recycling markets and informs policy-making in the circular economy.
As a result of the pilot project, a textile recycling software interface and network were developed, which are now in use across various municipalities in Estonia, Finland, and the Netherlands.
