Upcycling of textile waste

The textile and clothing sector generates a large amount of waste that are either incinerated or disposed in landfills. There is a large and growing share of textile waste that is exported to e.g. Africa for an uncertain fate with potential environmental and health concerns. There is a need to develop and implement actions to reduce the environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions of the textile and clothing industry, including efficient technologies to retrieve textile fibers free of toxic chemicals from mixed textile waste. This project will explore different methods for upcycling textile waste. The fate and future of textile waste in Africa and the principles of green and sustainable chemistry will be considered when evaluating the potential, scalability and versatility of different upcycling technologies and processes.