Belgian textile startup wins European social innovation competition

Belgian textile startup wins European social innovation competition
Credit: Belga

The Belgian start-up Resortecs, active in the reuse and recycling of textile products, is among the three winners of the European Social Innovation Competition (EUSIC), the European Commission announced Thursday.

This year's theme of the prize, rewarded with a €50,000 cheque to each winner, was "Reimagine Fashion," aimed at "changing behaviours for sustainable fashion," the Commission explained.

The start-up manufactures sewing threads that disintegrate at high industrial temperatures. A continuous and automated disassembly line then allows the zippers and buttons to be removed from the textile parts, polyester and cotton to be separated and then sent to specific recyclers. Such operations are too costly to carry out manually.

The other two winners are a Croatian digital platform ("Snake") that simulates the wearing of garments in augmented reality, and "WhyWeCraft", a Romanian project of craft co-creation in fashion and design.

The Commission was looking for companies that presented solutions for sustainable use and consumption, sustainable production, or for "improving the end of life stage."

"The competition is open to individuals, groups and organisations across the European Union and in countries participating in the European Horizon 2020 programme," the Commission said.

Jason Spinks

The Brussels Times


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