With the aim of efficiently utilizing textile residual materials and promoting regional value creation, the research project “UEBER-AUS – Resource-Efficient Use of Surpluses and Offcuts from the Textile Industry Through the Regional Creation of Circular Systems” was launched on October 1, 2024 at the TEXOVERSUM Faculty of Textiles, Reutlingen University.

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with €1.54 million, the project has a three-year duration and addresses the challenges of the circular economy in the textile industry.
The focus is on textile waste streams, including post-industrial waste (cuttings, yarn and fiber residues) and pre-consumer waste (surpluses, defective production). The objective is to reduce these waste streams and channel them into high-quality utilization through innovative approaches such as cascade use, tracking, and recycling.

The transdisciplinary project team collaborates with renowned partners from science, industry, and associations, including: IÖW – Institute for Ecological Economy Research, Berlin; IFEU – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg; Hohenstein Innovations; TEXOVERSUM Faculty of Textiles; Braun. Ku-Tex, Reutlingen; Karl Conzelmann GmbH, Albstadt; Polysecure GmbH, Freiburg; and RÖKONA Textilwerk GmbH & Co. KG, Tübingen.
The initiative is further supported by additional associated partners, including the most important textile associations of the southwest German textile industry.

Focus on regional approaches

The project aims to strengthen regional circular systems in southwest Germany. Residual materials from various textile manufacturers are recorded and sorted using digital tracking systems in order to make high-quality recyclates available for further processing. This creates robust and sustainable value chains that combine ecological and economic advantages through optimized logistics.

Practice-oriented solutions and sound analyses

Several pilot projects will test new fields of application for technical textiles and apparel. These activities are accompanied by comprehensive life cycle assessments to evaluate environmental impacts. Economic analyses ensure the future feasibility and scalability of the developed approaches.

“With UEBER-AUS, we want to demonstrate how regional cooperation and innovative recycling approaches can make a decisive contribution to the circular economy in the textile industry,”
says Kai Nebel, Head of the Sustainability Lab at the TEXOVERSUM Faculty of Textiles.

The project is led by the Sustainability Lab (Kai Nebel, Martina Gerbig) of the TEXOVERSUM Faculty of Textiles (LFZ Interactive Materials). Project implementation is carried out across faculties in cooperation with the Teaching and Research Center PA&T (Barbara Boldrini) of the Faculty of Life Sciences.

Project duration: 01 October 2024 – 30 September 2027