Investments in new technologies create conditions for circular transition

On 29 August, entrepreneurs and business actors were invited to a final event at the DO-tank Center in Borås. The purpose was to present the results of the investments made in the CircularMovement project. During the day, technology developed within the project was demonstrated and a number of different lectures were held with a focus on sustainability and circularity.

CircularMovement, run by Science Park Borås and Wargön Innovation, is now coming to an end. The project has, among other things, aimed to expose companies to new technologies, new machines, cloud services and AI that have an effect on circularity and sustainability.

- Circular Movement was a project where we aimed to demonstrate and make new technologies available to companies in both the textile and fashion industries and their surrounding sectors. Our main goal has been to lead more companies into a transformation process, where increased digitalization and new production methods can create a competitive edge through sustainable and circular solutions and collaborations at local level. We wanted to support companies in the transformational change of their businesses and help them achieve strategic advantages," said Therese Bengtsson, project manager for CircularMovement at Science Park Borås.

Investment in new technologies

One of the first machines invested in by the project was a commercial-scale textile sorting machine that includes the latest fiber detection technology, Fibersort, located at Wargön Innovation. The facility's test and demo system can handle and sort textiles in large volumes, which can be used, for example, for large-scale sorting of textiles for redesign and reuse or complaint management and rental models.

During the project, 14 entrepreneurs tested their business models using the textile sorting machine. Examples of companies that have used the technology include Nimble Patch and Twood, which in various ways give new life to worn-out jeans, and Hodakova and Rave Review, which create new garments from textiles sorted out in the facility. The fiber sorting scanner also enables material sorting, as a continuous viscose stream to textile recycling company ShareTex, for example.

- "With our equipment and systems, we want to enable the region's SMEs to scale up or develop their circular business models to increase their competitiveness for the future. Being able to verify their business on a larger scale is a very important step for the circular companies of the future," said Markus Danell, Director of Wargön Innovation, in connection with the inauguration of the textile sorting machine.

Another machine developed within CircularMovement is a system for the automatic remake of clothes, located in the DO-tank Center in Borås. Together with the companies ETON Systems and LedAI, a system has been developed to inspire circularity where clothes that are not of sufficiently high quality to reach the second-hand market can be given a second chance. Automation and AI create opportunities for new business models.

- New technology opens up opportunities for the textile industry to earn money from circularity, which is a must for us to make a change. We have the technology and we want to help companies change to become more sustainable," says Mathias Bräck, innovation technician at Science Park Borås.

Gearing up for the future

With funding from the European Regional Development Fund, Region Västra Götaland, Vänersborg Municipality and Fyrbodal Municipal Association, Wargön Innovation's work to support SMEs in scaling up or developing their circular business models will be deepened over the next three years.

- CircularMovement has been an important project that has given us the opportunity to help small and medium-sized companies in their transition journey and we take with us many lessons from the collaborations we have had linked to the textile sorting machine. Now we continue to develop our test and demo environment to become a world leader when it comes to industrial sorting and valuation of textile materials and look forward to supporting entrepreneurs and companies to create competitiveness in the transition from linear to circular economy, says Markus Danell.

Want to know more about our future plans and how we can help you move towards a circular business model? Contact Markus Danell, Executive Director, or Caroline Düberg Martinsson, Innovation Manager.