Katty Fashion will test and optimize systemic design solutions (for products and processes), for the reduction of textile waste – up to zero. Goal is a digital service package for production planning, (customizable) new product technical sheet and specifications regarding the appropriate recycling technologies.
Mai bine Association will focus on zero-waste design for clothing patterns. This will be a new digital product patch for already existing CAD software, tested and adopted to industrial environment.
MBA will also develop a regional platform to connect the regional textile recycling ecosystem that will later become a digital B2B marketplace for waste recycling (pre-consumer / industrial and commercial waste).
In order to identify the gaps in the regional textile value chain and the current challenges, we have developed a series of surveys specifically addressed to all relevant actors. We made the classification according to the position on the value chain: Producers, Collectors, Recyclers and Retailers.
The purpose of these surveys is to collect valuable information to help us better understand the processes and challenges of each segment and to create a database as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible, so that we can propose effective solutions for a circular economy in the textile sector.
At the end of the questionnaire we have a section dedicated to the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles where you can learn more about the new laws that will come into force in the near future.
Thank you in advance for your time and effort in completing the questionnaire. Your participation is extremely valuable and will help us build a more sustainable future for the textile industry.
The surveys are in Romanian and can be accessed by clicking on the relevant button below.
During October 22-23, 2024, we participated in Mölndal (Sweden) at a workshop dedicated to regional clusters/hubs and SMEs within the RegioGreenTex project.
Our host was RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden), one of the largest research and innovation institutes in Sweden, the 4th largest institute in the EU. RISE is focused on sustainable development and supporting the competitiveness of industries through advanced research and testing. RISE’s activities span a wide range of areas, including materials, energy, environment, health and digital technology, and their textile department is one of interest for sustainable innovation and the circular economy in the textile industry.
In a tour organized through different departments of the RISE center in Mölndal, it was emphasized the important role that research has in industry, as well as the significant contribution it makes through collaboration with industry.
During these 2 days there were presentations, interactive workshop and training sessions, visits and networking activities with companies from Sweden.
The visit to project partner FOV Fabrics further demonstrated to us the importance of continuous innovation and investment in new technologies. As part of the project, the company is implementing a line for digital printing using less resources of water, chemicals and energy, with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint by 30% compared to traditional dyeing processes.
The North-East Regional Development Agency, as a partner in this project, presented the progress of the work package it coordinates. Together with our regional partners, Katty Fashion SRL and Asociația Mai Bine, we also described the main functionalities of the NERO GreenTex regional hub: the ecosystem activities carried out, as well as the demonstration pilots developed by the regional partners within the hub, through which we promote a circular and zero-waste textile value chain.
At the same time, the representatives of the 2 companies from the region participated in a plenary pitch session, where they presented their developed solutions, which can be adopted by interested companies from other regions.
These two days of workshops highlighted how innovation comes to life through the collective effort of organizations that share the same values and sustainable goals. Collaboration between research institutes, companies and regional hubs not only accelerates progress, but also greatly increases the chances of innovation success. A clear message remained well imprinted in our minds: “Collaboration can raise innovation success rate to 95%.“
On 26 September 2024, for the seventh edition of the RegioGreenTex Community Talks webinar series, we hosted a webinar presenting the North-East Romania RegioGreenTex Hub: “From zero-waste to numberless possibilities: North-East Romania’s Hub for circular textiles”.
In this webinar, the participants had the opportunity to discover the North-East Romania Hub, from the association of the pilots developed by the two Romanian RegioGreenTex SMEs, the expertise of the partners, and the opportunities for collaboration, to the importance of the region in building circular textile value chain.
Our main speakers from Mai Bine and Katty Fashion, presented their pilot projects developed within the hub, whereas Gabriela Macoveiu from the North-East Regional Development Agency presented the policy approach to circular textiles, both from European and regional perspectives.
On May 23, 2024, the North-East Regional Development
Agency , in collaboration with the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University from Iași , organized in Piatra Neamț the entrepreneurial discovery workshop in the Textile sector, entitled Education, entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of smart textiles and circulars .
The event was addressed to managers and specialists in
the textile production sector, respectively, collection and recycling of textile waste, interested in the business opportunities and challenges presented by smart functional materials and textile waste management.
Representatives of the North-East RDA reviewed the
investment priorities of the North-East Region for 2021-2027, focusing on the economic sectors with potential for innovation identified in the region’s smart specialization strategy (RIS3 North-East).
This was followed by a presentation of the results and perspectives of the HACKTEX project, implemented by the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University in Iasi. Within this project, virtual education tools were developed in the field of functional and intelligent textiles, with the aim of supporting both students and companies active in this segment, in the development of knowledge, technical skills, as well as entrepreneurial ones.
Deepening the term “intelligent textiles”, Prof. Univ. Dr. Ilda Kazani from the University of Tirana (Albania) gave a presentation on the future of our clothes. We are talking here about different smart clothing products, from textiles as medical devices, with a role in treating various ailments, to advanced uniforms used in the defense industry, designed to improve the health of soldiers, and much more.
The second part of the event was dedicated to circular textiles and how they are addressed in the I3 REGIOGREENTEX project. Co-financed by the Interregional Investments for Innovation Program (I3) of the European Union, RegioGreenTex is a €13 million project, intended to promote investments in the circularity of textiles, with 43 partners from 11 European regions, including ADR Nord-Est, SC Katty Fashion SRL and the Association “Mai bine” from Iași.
A number of European and regional aspects of value chains for circular textiles were highlighted, after which the NERO GREENTEX regional hub developed within the project was presented. Its purpose is to promote a value chain of circular textiles with minimal waste (zero-waste) in the north-east of Romania, through innovative solutions with potential for multiplication, developed and implemented by Katty Fashion SRL and Asociația Mai Bine, as demonstrative pilots. Thus, three demonstrative pilot projects were presented by the promoters, focusing on the identified needs, as a starting point, and the processes they address. The review of the European and national legislative framework for the management of textile waste was also very important, in which useful aspects were mentioned for companies in the sector, emphasizing the need for a strategic and systemic change for an efficient circularity within the value chain of textiles and clothing.
The event ended with an interactive workshop where a series of questionnaires developed within the NERO GreenTex Hub were presented and debated in order to identify active regional actors (and missing links) in the regional value chain for circular textiles. These questionnaires will help to collect essential data from producers of textile waste (textile factories, traders and consumers), but also from collectors and recyclers. Productive discussions were initiated and collaborative work was done to adapt the presented questionnaires and identify the optimal methods of their application.
The event was, thus, a good opportunity to gather around common challenges, representatives of the regional textile ecosystem (researchers, managers and specialists from companies, associations and public administration), laying the foundations for possible collaborations in the future.
Members of the NERO GREENTEX hub participated in the annual meeting of the RegioGreenTex consortium, which took place in Portugal, in Vila Nova de Famalicão, on 11-13 March 2024.
The event was hosted by CITEVE – The Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industry of Portugal, an entity holding a vast portfolio of services for companies in this sector, including laboratory tests, product certification, technical and technological consulting, CDI (research – development – innovation), training, fashion and design. As the Northern region of Portugal is one of the largest producers of textiles in Europe, CITEVE and its affiliated institute CeNTI (Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials) have benefited from significant funding through public programs for the development of innovative chemicals, fibers and textile yarns, circular and digital textile solutions, as well as smart materials and high-performance technical textiles, collaborating with over 100 local companies.
NE RDA presented the progress of the work package it coordinates, focused on activities to animate the project’s ecosystem. This work package aims to develop a digital platform for mapping, match-making and communication, a self-diagnostic tool for the circularity of companies, a package of courses for the transition of SMEs to a green textile sector and a series of webinars and debates aimed at both the project community and the general public.
Also, as the coordinator of the NERO GREENTEX regional hub developed within the project, NE RDA presented the activities carried out in the first 12 months of activity, in particular, the progress of the two demonstration pilots implemented by the hub partners Katty Fashion SRL and Mai Bine Association, in the field of zero-waste technologies and textile recycling.
At the same time, a representative from NE RDA participated in the works of the Mirror Group within the project, in order to promote common policies for the circularity of textiles.
The presentation sessions and workshops were joined by numerous networking opportunities where partners created synergies and discussed common challenges and possible solutions. In addition, all partner SMEs were able to present their project results through an exhibition with samples of garments, yarns, fabrics and other innovative products obtained through the project so far. Among them, our regional partners, Katty Fashion SRL and Mai Bine Association, who presented their pilot activities developed in the different work packages of the project both in plenary and by participating in the exhibition dedicated to innovative enterprises.
The annual meeting of the RegioGreenTex consortium was thus a good opportunity to assess the progress and impact of the project in the partner regions. New collaborations and partnerships are expected to blossom as a result of this consortium meeting.
On 29th November 2023, NERO GreenTex Hub representatives participated online in the RegioGreenTex Community Talks webinar series.
During this webinar, we presented to the other project partners and regions our hub, its focus, the partners involved, and the activities foreseen.
Recording of the webinar and presentations are accesible through the link below.
The RegioGreenTex Interregional Hub workshop was part of the “Clusters Meet Regions – Clusters as drivers of regional innovation eco-systems” international conference held in Iasi, North-East Romania, from 21 to 23 November 2023, at Unirea Conference Centre. The event marked a significant step towards improving regional innovation ecosystems through clusters across Europe.
The day of 23rd November included three parallel sessions on Bioeconomy, Textiles, and Cluster Financing in Regional Programmes. These sessions featured discussions on bio-economy value chains, sustainable textiles, and funding schemes. The morning section of the Textiles parallel session was hosted by RegioGreenTex (I3 project) and CLOTH – European Cluster Partnership for Excellence (COSME project).
As part of our RegioGreenTex session entitled “Role of Clusters in dynamizing the interregional investments for innovation within the European textile sector”, we have been thrilled to navigate through a few topics, presented by the below speakers:
ASTRICO NE cluster is the main textile cluster of North-East Romania, with a significant presence in national and international innovation and collaboration projects. The cluster has a tradition of good practices in Textiles, having RIFIL (a private Romanian-Italian company, established 50 years ago, on of the very few of its kind during the communist times) as main pivot.
The textiles session had 56 participants from clusters, companies, academia, social enterprises and civil society.
The aim of the workshop was to present the RegioGreenTex project, the role of the hubs within it, and the roles of the regional clusters in these hubs. Presentations emphasized the similarities and the complementarities between the RegioGreenTex Hubs, the regional contexts in which they were settled, and the various economic and policy perspectives aimed to support innovation in textile companies. WP4 leader, NTT, represented by Enrico Venturini, presented also their role in helping and coaching RegioGreenTex SME partners as part of this project.
A special emphasis was placed on the presentation of NERO GREENTEX HUB, its partners and activities. Also, to enlarge the scope of the discussion, a representative textiles cluster of North-East Romania has been invited to present a number of good practices of interregional collaboration, and also, the main challenges encountered by the member companies on the national and global markets.
RegioGreenTex speakers were also invited to join CLOTH project speakers in a panel discussion that debated a number of sensitive topics of the textiles and fashion sector, of the role of public entities and other relevant stakeholders in supporting a sustainable textile industry, and on the future of textiles and their circularity in nowadays global economy.
On the second part of the day, the representatives of NERO GREENTEX Hub participated to the “Bioeconomy meets textiles” workshop hosted by HEREWEAR Horizon 2020 project that addressed the recycling and upcycling of bio-based textile waste.
Between October 10-12, 2023, representatives of the North-East Regional Development Agency participated in a workshop in Prato (Italy), organized within the RegioGreenTex project.
Prato is considered one of the largest industrial districts in Italy, the largest textile center in Europe and one of the most important centers in the world for the production of woolen yarns and fabrics.
The meeting with the European partners was a good opportunity to discuss the evolution and perspective of the project, underlining the ambitious goal of creating a value chain dedicated to textile recycling, maximizing market opportunities.
During these days, we connected better with partners from the other 10 regions participating in the project, shared experiences and knowledge, visited companies in Prato and were pleasantly surprised by the history and experience of this region in the textile sector, which still dates back from the 12th century.