Digital passports and AI transform textile circularity

QR codes on clothes provide important information to enable easy end-of-life recycling

Spotted: Increased consumer attention to and understanding of waste streams, alongside growing government support for circular economies, are combining to build a growing textile recycling market that’s expected to be worth $11 billion (around €10.1 billion) by the end of 2028.

In the UK, circular fashion technology company Eslando bridges one of the biggest divides in the development of a circular economy – connecting those wanting to recycle with the facilities who are able to do so. Eslando’s Relabel is a digital passport for textiles that lists the materials the fabric is made of, making it possible for brands to identify the correct type of recycling process needed for the garment.

Textile recycling can be mechanical, chemical, enzymatic, or downcycling, with each process more suitable than others for certain textiles. Sorting textiles by hand is impossible because of the variety of material combinations, and automatic sorting processes don’t include the means to read and differentiate between the different chemicals used in production. Eslando’s AI-powered sorting technology helps sorters improve the efficiency and accuracy of their processes while reducing the volume of textiles sent to landfill.

Relabel uses a QR code that’s scannable by anyone at any stage in a product’s lifecycle, making it possible for consumers, recyclers, and brands to direct textiles into the correct recycling stream. And by tracking end-of-life processes for each piece, Eslando provides companies with detailed data on rates and types of recycling being used. Brands that use the Relabel process also gain access to new streams of feedstock for use in new products, helping to further develop circularity within the industry.

Eslando founder Karishma Gupta told Springwise that the company recently secured a £150,000 (around €176,000) grant from Innovate UK and £120,000 (around €141,000) equity investment from Carbon13. The company plans to use the funds to expand its network of partners and continue to further develop its technologies.

Written By: Keely Khoury