"Safe and Innovative Textile Recycling": Chemical Safety, Microfibres, PFAS and Advanced Recycling Pathways

The transition towards a fully circular textile economy is based on the ability to reintroduce safe, high-quality secondary raw materials onto the market. While traditional mechanical recycling remains an indispensable industrial pillar, the scalability of circularity today requires rigorous control over the chemical safety of recovered materials. It is therefore essential to address crucial challenges such as the traceability of legacy chemicals, the detection and substitution of PFAS with eco-compatible finishes, and the mitigation of microfibre release.
At the same time, to manage complex or mixed textile fractions that are unsuitable for mechanical processing, the new frontiers of advanced recycling – in particular enzymatic and biorefining technologies – offer complementary and revolutionary solutions. This panel will explore the necessary synergy between advanced testing infrastructures, analytical control and deep-tech innovation, with the aim of ensuring a textile-to-textile cycle that is safe, efficient and fully aligned with the forthcoming European regulations.

Session Chair

Andrea Falchini, Next Technology Tecnotessile

Program

14:00 Welcome & Introduction
Andrea Falchini, Next Technology Tecnotessile

14:05 Chemical safety of recycled natural fibres 
Francesco Marini, Confindustria Toscana Nord

14:15 Analytical methods and testing data
Giuseppe Bartolini, TIL

14:25 Innovative water-based sol-gel to substitute PFAS 
Guillaume Direur, IFTH, Francia

14:35 Microfibre release and PFAS: measuring risks 
Letizia Bregola, Centrocot

14:45 Enzymatic textile recycling: from research to scale 
Loredano Pollegioni, Università dell’Insubria

14:55 Textile waste recycling via biorefining strategy
Chenyu Du, University of Huddersfield, UK

15:05 Company speech 

15:15 Applied testing infrastructures for safe recycling 
Centrocot MultiLab

15:25 Synthesis & Takeaways