SorTex streamlines textile waste management in the Nordics

SorTex, an innovative Danish-Swedish collaboration aimed at streamlining the management of textile waste in the Nordic region, has officially kicked off. The project, led by Herning Municipality in Denmark in collaboration with Wargön Innovation in Sweden, has now been launched during a very successful kick-off in Gothenburg.

SorTex is an ambitious three-year initiative funded by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak. The project addresses the growing challenge of textile waste in Europe and aims to strengthen the circular economy in the textile sector by increasing the collection and developing the pre-sorting of discarded textiles, thus creating opportunities for reuse and recycling of textiles.

─ Many municipalities currently lack a clear vision for how their textile collection should be designed, and above all how to make the best use of the collected textiles. There is currently no ready-made infrastructure that can handle this. That's why SorTex is so important - it gives us the opportunity to develop solutions together and avoid each municipality having to reinvent the wheel," explains Gabriella Engström, project manager at Wargön Innovation.

The main objectives of the project are to identify effective methods for collecting discarded textiles, to streamline and develop the pre-sorting of the collected textiles, and to find outlets and business models that extend the life of the textiles. As of January 1, 2025, all EU Member States will have to introduce separate collection of textiles from private individuals, in line with the EU textile strategy. This poses several challenges, especially as the textiles will primarily be reused rather than recycled, which places high demands on a collection process that ensures the quality of the textiles and protects them from, for example, moisture and mold.

The project is an extensive partnership between Swedish and Danish actors, where Wargön Innovation is the project coordinator in Sweden while Herning Municipality in Denmark is the responsible project manager with Birgitte Hee Olesen, development manager at Herning Municipality in the lead.

"Within the framework of SorTex, we have a unique opportunity to jointly test and evaluate different technologies for the collection as well as pre-sorting of discarded textiles and the development of technical solutions and business models for the use of sorted textiles," says Birgitte Hee Olesen and continues "In collaboration with experts from both the public and private sectors in Sweden and Denmark, we want to develop scalable solutions that really make a difference.

In Sweden, as in many other EU Member States, responsibility for collection has fallen to the municipalities.

─ After the turn of the year, we will be responsible for separate collection of textiles. For this to have a real impact, we need to look beyond collection and integrate sorting and companies that want to use the sorted textiles in their operations. It is an important assignment the municipalities have been given that enables the creation of circular textile management in Sweden as well as in Europe and we look forward to working with others on how it can best be solved, says Ulrika Edh Spranger, Head of Recycling at Trollhättan Energi, which is one of the project partners.

The kick-off in Gothenburg was the official start of the SorTex work, bringing together project partners from both Sweden and Denmark. The holistic perspective on textile management is an important part of SorTex and makes the project unique. The interest in participating in the project has therefore been extensive and it is clear that there is a great need to work together on issues relating to collection, pre-sorting, marketing and business models. The project is expected to deliver concrete results in the form of increased collection rates of discarded textiles, but also improved pre-sorting capacity and new, sustainable business models in the textile sector.

To create a circular system, it is not enough for municipalities to collect textiles; they also need to be taken care of and passed on. The need for sorting and valuation facilities that can assess how best to use the collected textiles is therefore key and it is by implementing such solutions that we can unlock the full potential of the discarded textiles and maximize their value in a circular economy," concludes Gabriella Engström.

The project runs until August 31, 2027 and is a collaboration between several parties from both Sweden and Denmark. If you would like to know more and get in touch with the project leaders or participants, please contact Gabriella Engström at Wargön Innovation.

SorTex is funded by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak. The project is carried out in cooperation with 13 municipalities and organizations in Sweden and Denmark.

Borås Energi och Miljö AB, Bæredygtig Herning F.M.B.A., Cyclothe AB, Erhvervsrådet Herning & Ikast-Brande, Göteborgs Kommun, Herning Kommune, NewRetex A/S, Professionshøjskolen VIA University College, Svenljunga Kommun, Sydskånes avfallsaktiebolag SYSAV, Trollhättan Energi Aktiebolag, Vänersborgs Kommun, Wargön Innovation AB.