Putting leftover textiles to good use

According to rough estimates, some 6,000 – 14,000 tonnes of leftover textiles go to waste in manufacturing every year in Sweden. This is a huge amount of waste, most of which is currently sent off to incinerators. But if we can find a new use for these textiles instead, then both the manufacturing industry and the environment have much to gain. As part of our sustainability work, we are involved in TexChain3 which aims to collect up these leftover textiles in order to create a circular economy.

We are facing a huge paradigm shift. Transitioning from a linear to a circular economy means going from talking about raw materials and waste products, to talking only about raw materials. The aim of TexChain3, which is being run by Wargön Innovation AB, is to create new, international value chains using leftover textiles from the manufacturing industry. By developing business models, techniques, processes and methods that exploit added value, we can lay the foundations for new circular and economical products and services. This means new business opportunities as well as huge gains in sustainability work.

- “For us, TexChain3 represents a new opportunity which we hope will give us more insight into our internal textile flows. The project will expand our knowledge from several different perspectives, with the possibility of collaborating with external stakeholders in future, which I believe is crucial for sustainable growth,” says Sandra Dovemark, Design Director at Svensson.

The project involves 32 companies from sectors like furniture and design, buildings and interiors, transport, and fashion/work clothing, all of which use textiles as raw materials or can recycle textiles into new products. The diversity of the players involved will really help lay the foundations for establishing the new forms of collaboration, working models and innovations that we need in order to transition to a circular economy.