The Trash-2-Cash project aims to develop new recycling methods to turn textile waste into high-performance fibers through collaboration between designers, scientists, and manufacturers across Europe. Over 3 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away in the EU each year. The project will define material properties and evaluate cotton fiber regeneration and polyester recycling techniques to create novel fibers and products for fashion, interiors, and automotive use. The goal is to pioneer a new approach to materials development called "Design-Driven Materials Innovation" and produce prototypes in a realistic test environment.

1. Turning textile waste into new
high-value products
The Vision. The Trash-2-Cash project aims to progress us towards the sustainable textile
industry of the future, one that benefits both people and the planet. Growing problems with
paper fibre waste from the paper industry and textile fibre waste, originating from
continuously increasing textile consumption, will be challenged through design-driven
innovation.
“All the clothes that we throw out and fibres wasted in production are actually a
valuable resource that we can’t afford to discard. This project gives us the opportunity
to challenge that.” Emma Östmark, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
Every year we throw away over 3 million tonnes of textiles in the EU28 countries. In this
unique collaboration between designers, scientists and manufacturers, the EU-funded
Trash-2-Cash project will tackle the growing problem of textile waste by developing state-of-
the-art fibre recycling methods, to create profitable new high-performance fibres.
Collaboration is Key. Designers, design researchers, scientists, raw-material suppliers and
end-product manufacturers from across Europe make up this cross-disciplinary and cross-
sectorial consortium. 18 partners, from 10 countries, are working on this Design-Driven
Material Innovation (DDMI) project, where the whole supply chain is represented. Having all
of these specialists on board means that new fibres can be spun and woven, knitted or
formed, into high performance textiles, which can then be made into innovative new
products.
User Needs First. The partners are working together to develop state-of-the-art textile
recycling technologies to produce new fibres that are ‘designed’ for the kinds of products
people want.
“Our hope is that the new Trash-2-Cash fibres will not only be ‘made from waste’ but
will be desired and used well before going into future recycling processes. We’re
using less harmful processes for people and the environment, and we’re designing-in
performance so that these fibres offer the full package for consumers and the
environment.” Prof Rebecca Earley, University of the Arts London
Made for Future Recycling. Together the collaborators are defining material properties and
evaluating newly developed eco-efficient cotton fibre regeneration processes and polyester
recycling techniques. Novel materials will be constructed – starting at the molecular level –
in order to generate new textile fibres and other products that will be compatible with the
environment for a sustainable future. Prototypes – for high quality fashion, interiors and
automotive contexts - will be produced in a realistic test production environment.

2. New Models. The T2C team is not just aiming to create amazing new regenerated fibres, it
is also pioneering ‘Design-Driven Materials Innovation’ a whole new approach to developing
materials.
Notes for editors
Trash-2-Cash project statistics
Total budget: 8,928,994.75 €
EU Contribution: 7,933,461.00 €
Duration: 42 months
Start date: 1 June 2015
18 partners from 10 countries
9 work packages (WPs)
Website: http://trash2cashproject.eu/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eutrash2cash
Twitter: www.twitter.com/eutrash2cash
LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8497416
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/eutrash2cash
Horizon 2020 funding
Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020
flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. Seen as a means to
drive economic growth and create jobs, Horizon 2020 has the political backing of Europe’s
leaders and the Members of the European Parliament. They agreed that research is an
investment in our future and so put it at the heart of the EU’s blueprint for smart, sustainable
and inclusive growth and jobs.
By coupling research and innovation, Horizon 2020 is helping to achieve this with its
emphasis on excellent science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. The
goal is to ensure Europe produces world-class science, removes barriers to innovation and
makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation.
Summary of Trash-2-Cash partners
COUNTRY PARTNERS EXPERTISE
Sweden SP Technical Research
Institute of Sweden
Development of new cellulosic
materials, LCA
TEKO Swedish Textile & Clothing
Industries’ Association
SCA Obbola Personal care and forest products
Swerea IVF Research on fibrous, polymeric
materials
Finland VTT Technical Research
Centre of Finland
Material Science
Reima Children’s outdoor clothing
Aalto University Lignocellulose and cellulose fibre.
Design research
Italy Grado Zero Innovation Advanced materials research and
prototyping
Material ConneXion Italia Research and consulting on

3. materials
SO.F.TER SPA Production of thermoplastic materials
Spain Cidetec Industrial innovation
Maier Plastic component supplier
Netherlands VanBerlo Design agency
UK University of the Arts London Arts, fashion and design
Denmark Copenhagen Business School Sustainable consumer behaviour
Turkey Söktas Designer and producer of cotton and
blended fabrics
Slovenia Tekstina Supplier of engineered textile
solutions
Germany Soex Group Used textile marketing and recycling
GradoZero, S.r.l. (Italy)
GradoZero (http://gradozero.eu/) represents 2 Italian SME (both located near to Florence),
Grado Zero Espace S.r.l., born more than sixteen years ago, involved in materials R&D,
advanced manufacturing processes (including coatings/finishing treatments), and
technology transfer towards manufacturing Industry (Fashion; Sportswear & Outerwear;
Protection; Advanced Wearables & HMIs; Biomedical; Marine Technologies; Automotive;
Aerospace; Energy; Military & Defense; Construction & Buildings). Grado Zero Espace has a
long list of collaborations with ESA (European Space Agency), in transferring advanced
technologies in everyday life.
Grado Zero Innovation S.r.l., born in 2013, involved in product development and
prototyping: it incorporates an Industrial Design Lab and a Life Cycle Engineering Dept. A
division of Grado Zero Innovation, is specialized in Sensors Systems and Sensing
Technologies. On the Healthcare & Wellbeing sector (e.g., Medical Textiles), GradoZero is
able to design and prototyping wearable suits, devices and equipment of several types,
including the possibility to pilot-testing the production of specific protective solutions.
Grado Zero Innovation S.r.l. is the company involved in Trash-2-Cash.
In Trash-2-Cash GradoZero researchers will use their experience in Interconnected Design
Thinking to bring the ‘product development’ vision in the design workshops (WP1), and
build around these insights specific application “pre-scenarios” for the 2 eco-fibres. They
will apply their knowledge of ‘design thinking for the circular economy’ and ‘eco-design’ to
translate material and process insights into design concepts for sector specific products with
effective lifecycles (WP3). In addition, GradoZero will be ‘discussion partner’ for the
evaluation of the business, environmental, and consumer potential of the developed design
concepts (WP6), and ‘leader’ of the manufacturing activities (WP7).