Recycling is still one of the biggest obstacles in the fashion industry, and game changing ideas are needed to give old garments a new life instead of ending up in landfill. Resortecs looked at the details and realized a lot could be done if only the seams would let go easily in the recycling process.
Awarded: €150,000 Year: 2018 Company: Resortecs
The innovation in a nutshell
A dissolvable thread that makes repairing and recycling a breeze.
Let us explain
Zippers and buttons make garment recycling complicated as the removal of such details calls for manual assistance, making the process both costly and time consuming. Resortecs solves this problem by supplying a thread that simply dissolves at a high temperature.
This innovation works double wonders – it makes both repairing and recycling a breeze. And when used for regular seams, the whole piece of clothing can easily be disassembled. The fabric can then be used over and over in new ways, cutting the need to produce fabric from scratch.
Stitch by stitch, this innovation brings new life to fashion.
Since winning the award
Resortecs is taking a huge leap forward by going from lab to factory scale, by setting up an industrial production of the stitching thread. “But as usual, every step forward forces you a half step back, however limitations implied by the industry forces us to remain creative,” says founder Cédric Vanhoeck.
The team’s biggest challenge is to secure funding to finance the go to market process, as well as funding the construction of their disassembly pilot plant.
Resortecs is also working on another technique which will be communicated at a later stage.
“The Global Change Award’s recognition of our potential breakthrough for recycling materials gives us wings to accelerate its development. Not only are we grateful for the grant that will support the development of the stitching prototype and the upcycling model, but we are also very eager to collaborate with the Global Change Award’s partners during the Innovation Accelerator Program,” says Cédric Vanhoeck.
Team members: Cédric Vanhoeck and Vanessa Counaert Country: Belgium Company: RESORTECS resortecs.com
"Being part of the Global Change Award community is a major opportunity to expand our network globally and get maximum impact.”