Faster and easier repairs reduce textile waste
A broken zipper is one of the most common reasons for a garment to be discarded, even if the garment is otherwise in good condition. Increasing textile repairs is therefore an important step in reducing textile waste and promoting a circular economy.
Wargön Innovation is leading a sub-project within CISUTAC where PCH Innovations has aimed to find opportunities to streamline the work with repairs. They saw that the replacement of zippers today is a time-consuming process, so they are developing a semi-automated workstation to be used when replacing zippers. The station contains several modules that support operators in performing different tasks, such as inspecting garments, selecting spare parts and the repair itself. The digital interface helps automate the inspection process and identify the type of zipper needed and is equipped with tools that improve the ability to remove old parts.
As the project moves further into the pilot phase, the station will be tested at different companies. The goal is to achieve 6 repairs in one hour, with less than 10 grams of waste per repair. Today, they estimate that each zipper replacement takes 40 minutes.
CISUTAC is a comprehensive project that aims to remove bottlenecks that exist today to create textile circularity in Europe. The aim is to reduce the overall environmental impact of the sector by creating sustainable, new and inclusive large-scale European value chains.