About PESCO-UP
The ambition of PESCO-UP is to transform the textile recycling industry by creating new raw materials from mixed wastes. It addresses the circularity across the textile recycling value chain, and reduces the industry dependency on virgin materials.
PESCO-UP is a Horizon Europe project, funded by the European Union. It started on 1 January 2024 and will last for 48 months. It receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 101138367.
As the objective is to ensure the full circularity of the outcomes and encourage collaboration between industry stakeholders, technologies tested during the PESCO-UP project cover all the textile recycling processes throughout the value chain.
Process 1:
Identification of Textiles and Sorting
PESCO-UP aims to develop a digitalised material identification and sorting system for advanced and resource-efficient sorting of different textiles and textile blends.
Process 2:
Data sharing for Recycling of Material Streams
PESCO-UP wants to improve supply and demand in the recycling value chain by developing a marketplace for recycled materials, and developing tools and practices for data sharing between stakeholders.
Process 3:
Pre-treatment and Purification
PESCO-UP aims to increase the recycling capacities to accommodate fibre-blends and mixed-streams of textile, using flexible and effective purification and separation processes.
Process 4:
Mechanical Separation
The objective of PESCO-UP is to develop suitable parameters for a new mechanical separation process for cotton-and-polyester blend textile waste, and find the optimal ratio, form and purity of both materials.
Process 5:
Chemical Separation
PESCO-UP wants to develop viable chemical separation methods for cotton-and-polyester blend materials. The objective is to process up to 90-95% of the given material into raw material.
Process 6:
Utilisation of Cellulose & Polyester Fractions
PESCO-UP wants to develop and demonstrate efficient utilisation routes for the separated cotton & polyester, with a focus on textile applications. Different demonstrators, including textiles, composites and films will be produced.
PESCO-UP's Holistic Approach to Overcoming Market Barriers in Textile Recycling
PESCO-UP’s innovations aim to transform the manufacturing sector into an enticing and competitive hub for the workforce while opening new avenues for companies, particularly SMEs.
The project’s approach delves into regulatory and socio-economic barriers to enhance the market appeal of innovative technologies.
Skills and Knowledge of Workforce
PESCO-UP assesses skills for deploying and operating the new technologies, focusing on digital competencies. We identify missing skills, implement targeted upskilling strategies, and create engaging training materials to share with industry and education stakeholders.
Raising Market Acceptance
Supporting EU regulatory goals, PESCO-UP communicates through diverse channels, spotlighting project results, innovative technologies, and the industry's environmental impact. It's about reshaping perceptions and making the textile industry more appealing.
Technology Transfer and Exploitation
PESCO-UP charts a course for technology transfer and exploitation, ensuring our groundbreaking technologies move swiftly towards commercial viability.
Led by VTT, the largest research and technology company and research centre conducting applied research in Finland, the PESCO-UP consortium is EU-wide and covers the entire textile recycling life-cycle.