[pageLogInLogOut]

#Recycling / Circular Economy

First automated textile waste sorting and recycling line in France inaugurated

Inauguration of automated textile waste sorting and recycling plant at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles © ANDRITZ
Partnership between Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Pellenc ST and ANDRITZ promotes circular economy for textiles.

France’s first industrial plant for automated sorting and recycling of textile waste was officially inaugurated at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Amplepuis, on November 30, 2023. The plant is the result of an ambitious partnership between textile recycling company Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, waste sorting specialist Pellenc ST and international technology group ANDRITZ, a specialist in textile recycling machinery and processes.

This partnership is a clear contribution to tackling the challenge of textile waste in the EU. The EU's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to ensure that by 2030 textile products are made to a great extent of recycled fibers and incineration and landfilling of textiles are minimized.

Capable of automatically sorting garments by composition and color, the new line meets the needs of both post-consumer and post-industrial waste markets. The line also removes hard parts such as buttons and zippers to prepare the material for further processing in an ANDRITZ tearing machine.

The automated textile sorting line at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles is dedicated to industrial-scale production, customer trials and projects, and the R&D activities of the partners. It will process textile waste to produce recycled fibers for the spinning, nonwovens, and composites industries.

Automated sorting was the last missing link needed to develop a complete ecosystem in France, where the fashion industry, social and solidarity economy actors, waste management companies, and textile producers from different sectors are working together towards a textile circular economy.




Eric Boel, General Manager, Nouvelles Fibres Textiles: “The opening of the new line marks a milestone in our efforts to turn textile waste into resources. And we are already laying the foundations for a second material preparation plant with a capacity to process 25,000 tons of post-consumer textiles per year.”

Alexandre Butte, General Manager, ANDRITZ Laroche: “We are proud to be part of the sustainable transformation. With our technologies and our close partnership with Nouvelles Fibres Textiles and Pellenc ST, ANDRITZ is making a significant contribution to a circular economy for textiles.”



More News from Andritz Küsters GmbH

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Complete ANDRITZ textile recycling line starts operating at Italian recycling specialist

ANDRITZ recently started up a new textile recycling line at Sfilacciatura Negro’s plant in Biella, Italy.

#Nonwovens / Technical Textiles

ANDRITZ starts up extra-wide carding machine for Italian nonwovens producer

International technology group ANDRITZ has successfully started up the new carding machine and opening/blending line it delivered to Albis in Roasio, Vercelli, Italy.

More News on Recycling / Circular Economy

#Recycled_Fibers

Selenis to double capacity in Portugal by Q3 2027 - Accelerating the Global transition to circular and low-carbon polyesters

Selenis, a global leader in high-performance specialty polyesters and part of the IMG Group, has announced a transformational expansion of its industrial headquarters in Portalegre, Portugal. This strategic investment is set to double the site’s production capacity by the third quarter of 2027, significantly accelerating the industrial scale-up of bio-based, medical-grade, and circular co-polyesters.

#Research & Development

Pellet press enables thermomechanical textile recycling on a pilot scale at ITA

Since the end of 2025, the technical centre of the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University has been equipped with a pellet press from the manufacturer Amandus Kahl GmbH & Co. KG, Reinbek, Germany. This press can efficiently compact shredded synthetic textiles at a throughput of up to 25 kg/h and process them into pellets with a diameter of 4 mm.

#Associations

EDANA joins industry coalition urging a strong internal market legal basis for the New Circular Economy Act

EDANA has joined 67 European industry associations in a joint industry statement calling on the European Commission and co-legislators to anchor the forthcoming New Circular Economy Act (CEA) in the Internal Market legal basis (Article 114 TFEU).

#Research & Development

Fabolose: Fabricating vegan and circular leather alternatives from bio-tech-derived cellulose

Fabulose is an EU funded project coordinated by the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF). Its consortium consists of leading research institutes, biotech innovators, and industry stakeholders who aim to create high-performance, biobased and recyclable leather-like fabrics, using efficient biotech production routes for bacterial cellulose, cyanophycin and bacterial pigments

Latest News

#Associations

European Business Coalition welcomes provisional application of EU–Mercosur Agreement and calls for Swift and full implementation

With the European Commission’s decision to provisionally apply the EU–Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement, a process spanning more than 25 years now moves decisively into its implementation phase.

#Technical Textiles

Independent testing confirms no detectable PFAS in Milliken firefighter turnout gear fabrics

Independent laboratory testing has confirmed that Milliken fabrics used in the manufacturing of firefighter turnout gear contain no detectable PFAS, based on third-party analysis conducted by Forever Analytical, an independent laboratory specializing in screening products and environmental samples for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

#Home Textiles

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles returns in August as global sourcing hub and trend barometer for home textiles industry

Following the conclusion of Heimtextil last month, the flagship fair in Messe Frankfurt’s global home and contract textiles portfolio, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition will return 18 – 20 August 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Building on the momentum generated in Frankfurt, the Shanghai fair will reinforce its position as the foremost home and contract textile platform in Asia – successfully bridging the gap between East and West, and connecting global product trends, supply-chain shifts, and buyer demand in one marketplace.

#Digital Printing

Express Print boosts production using an expanded fleet of Mimaki technologies

Express Print, a fast-growing Bulgarian provider of visual communication and soft signage solutions, has significantly enhanced its production workflow with a comprehensive portfolio of Mimaki digital printing systems. Based in Varna and active for more than 10 years, the company maintains a strong focus on the advertising sector. Over the years, it has steadily expanded its operations, driven by a clear vision to bring the full spectrum of large-format printing services in-house, avoiding outsourcing and ensuring complete control over production quality.

TOP