The EU-funded T-REX (Textile Recycling Excellence) Project has unveiled its first white paper, titled "Connecting Threads." The project's primary goal is to establish a harmonized EU blueprint for sorting and recycling household textile waste in a closed loop. With major players like Adidas, BASF, and Fashion for Good on board, the project aims to demonstrate sustainable and economically viable business models at every step of the value chain, transforming end-of-use textiles into a desired feedstock.

Recognizing the urgent need for effective solutions in end-of-use management, the T-REX Project stresses the importance of a digital transformation in the textile industry. This involves enhancing data integrity and management, improving efficiency, scalability, and overall system performance.

Implementing digital systems in the textile industry can foster collaboration and offer benefits like streamlined processes, enhanced transparency, data-driven decision-making, and the promotion of sustainability. However, challenges exist in terms of transparency and standardization of data structures and platforms, which must be addressed for the effective implementation of sustainable tools.

To tackle these challenges, the T-REX Project conducted a comprehensive analysis of primary and secondary data, exploring gaps and opportunities for digital solutions in circular textile value chains. The analysis focused on three key categories: Waste Mapping, Supply Chain Traceability, and Digital Product Passports.

The white paper emphasizes that nine themes identified are influenced by factors like legislation, compliance, certifications, standards, technology adoption, financial investment, and human resources. It underscores the importance of collaboration and alignment among all stakeholders to collectively advance the industry.