The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) is closing the textile cycle: A new laboratory recycling machine has been put into operation in the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology as part of the "KnitCycle" project. The purchase was made possible with the support of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU).

In the project, the team led by Professor Dipl.-Des. Ellen Bendt and Professor Dr. Thomas Weide from the HSNR are working on reducing textile waste in the clothing industry. This is because 87 percent of textile waste in the clothing industry worldwide ends up in landfill sites or is incinerated. Only 13 percent is mechanically processed, with the majority of used textiles ending up as insulation material. Less than one percent is recycled into high-quality fibers from which new clothing is made.

The aim of the "KnitCycle" project is to develop knitted products in such a way that they can be converted into high-quality fibers at the end of their life cycle through fiber-to-fiber recycling, from which new, high-quality yarn for clothing can be produced and products that can ideally be recycled again later. With the new machine, the entire recycling process can be carried out in the laboratories of the university's own Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB). This allows various tear tests to be carried out with different parameters in order to determine the best properties for products and processes that enable successful recycling.

In addition to the university, the project partners - the knitting specialist Bache GmbH in Rheinberg and the associated partners Turns GmbH and Textechno H. Stein GmbH & Co. KG - are also delighted with this progress in the project, which will run until the end of 2025.