Recycling cotton with SaXcell

The Dutch throw away forty pieces of clothing every year, on average. Some get a second life or are recycled, but most of them disappear into an incinerator. Researchers from the Sustainable & Functional Textiles research group from Saxion University of Applied Sciences started looking for a solution.

The team of researchers developed a yarn made entirely from textile waste in 2012. They founded SaXcell in 2015, together with Saxion University of Applied Sciences. SaXcell’s textile fibres are made from chemically recycled household cotton waste. This new innovative recycling process, developed by SaXcell in a laboratory, creates a new cellulose fibre. The original cotton is converted into pulp for new textile fibres. The process is much more environment-friendly than producing regular cotton. This is because SaXcell does not need agricultural land or pesticides, and they use less water. Besides, more than 99% of the necessary dissolvent for this process can be reused.

Great collaborations have been established to take the next step in this process. New shareholders have joined in addition to the researchers and Saxion University of Applied Sciences; WeVoTex, Sympany and three Turkish textile companies. These new shareholders will provide the means to set up the pilot factory. The TexPlus foundation, consisting of six leaders from Overijssel in the field of circular textiles, have also become involved in this cooperation. It is partly because of this that a regional deal lab will be opened at Saxion. TexPlus partners will be able to make use of this.

Even though the intention was to establish Saxion’s pilot factory in textile city Enschede, an alternative has now been found in Goor. The plan is to start producing here in November so that the first batches of yarn will be ready at the end of the year.