Lodz University of Technology, in collaboration with universities from Norway, Belgium, and Spain, is set to do research to address the environmental challenges associated with the textile industry. The mounting demand for sustainable alternatives in textile recycling is given particular urgency in the context of an EU directive that requires the separate collection of household textiles by 2025.

“We received a €1.5 million (~$1.61 million) grant from the Horizon Europe programme for the project. Lodz University of Technology's partners are the following, highly-ranked universities: the University of Stavanger, Ghent University, and the Catholic University of Ávila. As the coordinator of the project, I see my role in strengthening and increasing research activity and innovative capacity of TUL researchers, especially those in the faculty of material technologies and textile design, of which I am the dean,” said professor Katarzyna Grabowska, dean of the faculty of materials technology and design at TUL, the grant coordinator.

The acronym AIdesignTEX stands for Innovative IT Tools For A Circular Textile Economy: Driving Sustainability and Resource Efficiency, as per the press release.

“In the project, we are going to employ artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to design textiles sustainably. Adapting the process to a closed loop economy implies minimising resource consumption, reducing waste, reducing emissions, and recycling textiles efficiently. We are going to build, as part of a micro-project, closed loop economies, for textiles made from a range of raw materials,” Grabowska explained.

The goals of the project are aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal and respond to the environmental challenges faced by the textile industry. AIdesignTEX also puts a strong emphasis on educational outreach campaigns, intercultural dialogue, local stakeholder engagement, knowledge sharing, and skills development.

“I am very excited for my team and I to be implementing this project. I believe that our collective efforts will bring significant advantages both to science and to the textile industry, promoting sustainability and innovation in this important field,” concluded Grabowska.