Today I want to about a project that has been gaining a lot of importance in recent years, and it is: The New Cotton Project.

"The New Cotton Project" is a project that aims to develop circular solutions for the textile and fashion industry. Through the collaboration of a consortium of companies, research groups and organizations, the aim is to improve the sustainability of the sector through the use of recycled and biodegradable materials, the development of innovative technologies and the implementation of efficient practices in resource management. The project focuses on the production of recycled cotton yarn and the design of clothing that can be recycled at the end of its useful life.

According to research by Fashion for Good, only 2% of end-of-life textiles enter fiber-to-fiber recycling, with the rest ending up in landfill or burned; therefore, it has never been more critical for fashion companies to embrace a more circular ecosystem within the EU textile industry.

Driven by the rush for disruptive innovations with tenure grants, the New Cotton Project could potentially help gain commercial garments within the famed mill. Designed to break new ground in the future of closed-loop tool cessation solutions in textiles, the growth of certification and education from the New Cotton Project has proven that circularity throughout the supply chain is affordable.

The EU-funded three-year project started in 2021 with research on pre-treatment and tests for yarn production. Originally led by Frankenhaus, the project began with the process of identifying suitable raw materials by analysing the fabric composition of classified textiles before looking at pre-treatment techniques.

With a mission to make circular textiles an everyday reality and the commitment with which they are working towards the future of fashion is truly inspiring.”

Lessons learned and future lessons

As the new cotton project passes halfway, some of the findings include the importance of segregation for recycling. The good news, considered a key step in this process, is that investing in fibre identification technology can simplify your job. Some might argue that the technology is not fully mature, but it is so advanced that creating a unified system that improves raw material consistency is a possibility in the distant future.

The new cotton project represents an important step in the search for commercially viable solutions to transform the aging system and implement greener long-term strategies when it comes to fibres, yarns and textiles. The project is an example of how new initiatives can uncover technological processes and methods that can build a viable foundation and bring viable business opportunities into the sustainable development conversation. That's right, the fashion industry is not doomed, but it is important to understand with challenges and perspectives.

Finally, remember that if you want to start in the world of fashion you have to take many variables into account, and this is one of them. It is important as a designer to be able to help the environment since our industry is taking a large part in the worlds pollution.

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