The transition towards a circular textile economy requires new solutions for reducing and reusing textile waste. While the recycling of post-consumer textiles has received considerable attention, production waste generated during manufacturing remains an important area for innovation. The RecyTube project was launched to explore how these production residues could be transformed into valuable secondary raw materials.

Launched in November 2023, RecyTube was a collaborative research project involving the German textile manufacturer Rohleder and Hof University of Applied Sciences. It focused on recovering textile production waste generated during the manufacture of upholstery fabrics and developing new applications that kept these materials in use rather than disposing of or incinerating them. The initiative aimed to transform the textile residues into functional materials for furniture and other products. It also explored production methods that minimise the use of additional additives while maintaining material quality.

Throughout the project, researchers worked with textile production waste, including yarn remnants, fabric offcuts and weaving selvedges. These materials were processed into new recycled materials that were then used to create furniture prototypes. The research also explored additional applications apart from furniture, including alternatives to conventional foam and the production of new yarns from recycled fibres.

Alongside material development, design was a crucial part of the RecyTube project. Researchers, designers and industry partners worked together to show how recycled textile waste could be both practical and visually appealing. The collaboration also helped lay the groundwork for taking the concepts beyond the research stage and towards industrial production.

Following two and a half years of research and development, the project partners presented the final results in June 2026. They reported that the recycled materials developed through RecyTube contained approximately two-thirds recycled content, reducing the proportion of virgin material to around 33 per cent. According to Hof University of Applied Sciences, the project successfully demonstrated that textile production waste can be converted into high-quality materials suitable for new applications. The partners also highlighted that several research activities and development efforts will continue beyond the project's official completion.

For more information, please read the entire article on Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (IDW).