Design and sustainability as drivers of industrial symbiosis
Waste generation throughout the value chain remains a major challenge for the textile sector. Overcoming this challenge requires the development of circular solutions, both within the textile ecosystem and in collaboration with other sectors. In this context, industrial symbiosis offers a promising and increasingly viable approach. Among others, the furniture sector is an appealing destination for textile by-products and waste. The EU furniture industry is, in fact, strongly design-driven and innovation-oriented, which makes it particularly receptive to the adoption of new materials and solutions, including the integration of recycled textile-based materials to respond to the increasing demand for sustainable products and furniture finishes. Planq and Kvadrat exemplify companies developing innovative solutions to repurpose textile waste into durable, multi-functional materials for the furniture industry.

Planq scaling recycled textile-based materials in B2B and contract furniture markets
Planq is a Netherlands-based SME founded in 2017. It is a design-driven furniture company that develops and commercialises tables, chairs, panels, and interior elements, as well as semi-finished materials that can be integrated into third-party production processes. These solutions are targeted mainly at B2B markets, including office furniture, interior design, retail, hospitality, and architectural applications. The company has developed a process to shred textile waste, such as old denim, army clothing, suits, etc., as well as biobased fibres, such as flax, hemp, and jute coffee bags, into fibers, which are then carded into a felt material. The felt material is then pressed with a biobased binder to produce Rezign® (https://www.rezign.com/). Originally developed as a cladding panel, the material found its true potential in interior applications, where it is used as a structural and aesthetic component in tabletops, seating, cubic cabinets, and other interior elements produced by the company. The material, which consists of a relevant share (approximately 50%) of textile waste, can be used to substitute plastic-based options commonly used in furniture finishing. By transforming heterogeneous textile waste streams into a consistent and manufacturable material, the company addresses a key barrier to circular material adoption. Additionally, with a full circular approach, the company’s products are specifically designed to be reused, repaired, and remanufactured (e.g. with the use of reversible glue to enable disassembly).

Kvadrat Really integrating textile waste in premium applications
Kvadrat Really, is partly owned by Kvadrat, the Danish textile company that develops and supplies high-performance textiles and high-end interior solutions for both commercial and residential environments. Kvadrat Really focuses on the production of solid surfaces, tabletops, boards, and acoustic panels made entirely from upcycled end-of-life textiles. Its operations process approximately 550 tonnes of textile waste annually, converting materials that are unsuitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling into high-quality, durable products. For example, the company’s Textile Tabletop™, which is produced using 70% textile waste, is estimated to achieve a 30% reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions compared to a conventional tabletop, considering the entire lifecycle from material extraction to a finished tabletop ready for mounting. Although production volumes remain relatively limited compared to mass-market materials, this activity represents another example of potentially scalable industrial symbiosis with a positive environmental impact, without compromising performance or aesthetics in architecture and large-scale interior applications. Moreover, the sustainability profile of Kvadrat Really is further strengthened by its manufacturing process, which uses no water in fibre processing, generates no residual waste, and avoids dyes as well as toxic chemicals. Consequently, this production model reinforces the company’s circular proposition by combining waste valorisation with a cleaner and more resource-efficient manufacturing approach.

Conclusion
The examples of Planq and Kvadrat Really illustrate how industrial symbiosis can contribute to the transition of the textiles ecosystem by enabling the reuse of materials that would otherwise be discarded, as well as to strengthening resilience by diversifying material inputs and reducing dependence on virgin resources. These initiatives demonstrate replicability within the broader furniture and interior design sectors, particularly in B2B and contract markets where demand for sustainable solutions is growing. More broadly, these cases underline the importance of creativity, design, and innovation as enablers of circularity, and they highlight a viable pathway for scaling industrial symbiosis through value-driven markets rather than volume alone.