Automated textile sorting company Tomra Textiles and Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems have joined forces in a strategic collaboration to lead the development of what they claim to be the UK's inaugural automated textiles sorting and pre-processing facility for non-reusable textiles.

Circle-8, in collaboration with Tomra Textiles, aims to leverage Tomra's expertise and technological capabilities to devise innovative solutions for automated sorting and pre-processing of non-reusable textiles in the UK market.

Through an extensive feasibility study, Tomra and Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems will assess the viability of establishing an automated textile sorting and pre-processing facility, demonstrating the scalability of solution and process designs.

The feasibility study intends to design an automated solution capable of sorting textiles based on fibre composition and colour, while addressing challenges such as removing disruptors like buttons, zippers, and trims, and preparing materials to sizes suitable for textile-to-textile recycling processes.

Vibeke Krohn, head of Tomra Textiles, emphasized the importance of collaboration and co-creation across the value chain to achieve textile circularity at scale. Tomra, with over 50 years of experience in developing technologies for the shift from linear to circular, aims to make meaningful progress in collaboration with Circle-8 and their network of retailers and brands in the UK.