RE.ACT: Make circular economy a reality in textile
RE.ACT: a project for the transition toward circular economy models in the textile sector
Marzoli took part in the RE.ACT project developed by the “Egyptian Cotton Project” by UNIDO, sharing its technology to support the adoption of circular solutions for recycling denim fabrics produced by Egyptian textile industries.
Textile value chains are moving in new directions, where sustainability, circularity, and competitiveness are directly linked to joining forces through strategic partnerships across the entire value chain, in order to share innovation, inspiration, and solutions that go beyond their “usual business.”
In this context, UNIDO’s “The Egyptian Cotton Project” developed the RE.ACT pilot project, with the aim of testing market opportunities and technological capabilities for the transition toward circular economy models.
Through the activation of a multi-stakeholder partnership between Egypt and Italy, we collaborated and shared knowledge, experience, and technologies to demonstrate the possibility of making recycling profitable, transforming post-industrial denim fabric waste into NE 30/1 cotton yarn for the production of high-quality fabrics and knitwear.
The resulting yarn and fabric enabled the creation of a capsule collection, developed in collaboration with Italian fashion designer Marina Spadafora and Italian and Egyptian fashion design students.
What did we do?
With the support and expertise of Circle Economy, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and a business case were carried out to demonstrate the positive effects of recycling denim fabric, in terms of reducing environmental impact and generating potential benefits for industrial stakeholders.
In particular, the comparison with virgin cotton showed positive results across all the categories considered: water consumption, total energy demand, and global warming potential.
The Italian and Egyptian partners who, together with Marzoli, contributed to the implementation of this project are:
- UNIDO and “The Egyptian Cotton Project”
- T&C: supply of post-industrial denim fabrics
- Filmar: spinning process
- Albini Group: weaving and finishing
- Marina Spadafora and Italian and Egyptian designers: design and development of the capsule collection
- Circle Economy: development of the LCA and the business case
We believe in a form of sustainability that combines environmental and economic value, fostering the concrete adoption of circular technologies and processes in the textile industry. Through textile regeneration, we promote not only fiber circularity, but also synergy across the entire value chain, capable of accelerating innovation, skills, and the growth of the circular ecosystem.
CRISTIAN LOCATELLI
Marzoli General Manager
