Book
Practising Solidarity | Critical Fashion and Agency that Matters
Practising Solidarity explores how to make and wear clothes in a solidarity-based way.
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WELCOME TO NEW TEXECO
Homeland of
research on sustainable fashion and textiles
Projects
Overview
Education
Keeping it Local
Keeping it Local is a research project of the Fashion Research & Technology Lectorate at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. This ‘living laboratory’ investigates co-creation, local production in an urban environment and sustainable consumer behaviour. We produce 3D-knitted jumpers inspired by traditional fishermen’s jumpers. Like their traditional predecessors, these jumpers tell the story of local communities: […]
Research
Transitions
In Transitions, universities, colleges, platforms and institutes work together to support the transition to a more sustainable, circular textile and fashion industry. The project does this by developing new learning methods and tools to support students, young designers and professionals with the real, everyday challenges that the green transition necessitates. Approach A circular economy aims […]
Education
AEQUALIS4TCLF
Research project AEQUALIS4TCLF focuses on the (approaching) shortage of practical skills needed for a future-proof, more digital European clothing and textile sector. Together with partners from as many as seven European countries – Czechia, Croatia, Lithuania, Finland, Slovenia, Serbia and the Netherlands, the professorships of Jose Teunissen and Troy Nachtigall are helping to develop new […]
Research
Going Circular Going Cellulose
Going Circular Going Cellulose (GC)2 is a study by ArtEZ and Saxion into the possibilities of connecting the technical production of yarns and textiles from sustainable cellulose fibres to the wishes and requirements of textile designers. Sustainability and circular economy are key issues in the textile supply chain. Many companies want to make more sustainable […]
From seagrass to sustainable textile application
In this project, European and especially Dutch seagrasses were investigated for the right properties to grow, harvest and process them – whether or not combined with other sustainable materials – into raw materials for textile applications in an ecologically and economically sustainable way. It also looked at whether historical knowledge of processing and applications of […]
Research
Designing Shape Changing Textiles
This project investigated how shape-changing textiles (fabrics that can actively change shape in interaction with the wearer or the environment) can be designed based on ecological principles to promote sustainable behaviour and well-being. Together with researchers Pauline van Dongen and Anna Wetzel, consortium partners AMOLF, the Ecomimicry Institute, Next Nature Network and UNStudio approached shape-changing […]
Research
Bamboo Europe
Is it possible to set up a sustainable, transparent and local value chain for processing bamboo for interior design, construction and textiles? The Tactical Design lectureship investigates the potential of European-produced bamboo – from raw material to finished product. Bamboo is a promising renewable raw material that grows rapidly, has high CO2 uptake and excellent […]
News
Overview
30 June 2025
Loopholes: toolkit for system change in the fashion and textile sector
A roadmapping toolkit for those who want to make work of circular innovation As a designer, company, policy-maker or teacher, how do you shape a circular textile chain? Loopholes offers a practical and strategic answer. This Circular Innovation Roadmapping Toolkit helps users to initiate structural change from different perspectives. Think about developing circular business models, […]
11 June 2025
Floor van der Holst started as network coordinator
From 2 June, Floor van der Holst will strengthen the NewTexEco team in the position of Network Coordinator. In this role, Floor combines her research activities within Saxion University of Applied Sciences’ Sustainable and Functional Textiles Research Group with connecting partners within the NewTexEco network. Floor’s main task is to actively engage NewTexEco’s partners, with […]
4 June 2025
New Associate Lecturer Sustainable Textiles: Dr Haroutioun Askanian
We welcome Dr Harout Askanian as a new Associate Lecturer, responsible for the Sustainable Textiles research line within Saxion’s Sustainable & Functional Textiles research group – one of the core partners within NewTexEco. Haroutioun plays an important role in shaping practice-based research that contributes to the transition to a sustainable and circular textile industry. His […]
4 June 2025
BYBORRE voted Coolest Dutch Brand
Amsterdam – Coolest Dutch Brand Our consortium partner BYBORRE has been named Coolest Dutch Brand of the Year by FONK Magazine – a prestigious recognition for brands that carry sustainability to the core of their mission. BYBORRE is not just about redesigning textiles, but about redesigning the entire textile chain. Transparent, on-demand and with an […]
4 June 2025
Project partner Zeefier wins Green Concept Award 2025
Berlin – Green Olympics Edition | Category: Interior & Lifestyle We are proud to congratulate our partner Zeefier for winning the Green Concept Award 2025 for the project ‘From Dutch Wool and Seaweed’ – a locally produced carpet made of Dutch wool, dyed with environmentally friendly seaweed-based pigments (see image below this post).This prestigious prize […]
14 May 2025
Positive SPRONG monitoring underlines progress and cooperation
Two years after the start of the programme, NewTexEco has taken an important step. The recent SPRONG monitoring confirms that the programme is on track, with visible progress in building our network and cooperation within the consortium.The committee expressed appreciation for the development of the programme, calling the progress since last year “significant”. It also […]
13 May 2025
Daniëlle Bruggeman: system change starts with cooperation
In the interview below with FashionUnited, Daniëlle Bruggeman argues for a fundamental overhaul of the current fashion system. Instead of focusing on production and consumption, she emphasises the importance of care, repair and multiple ways of experiencing fashion. The article also cites the new Care & Repair project, in which MilieuCentraal, ClickNL, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, […]
22 April 2025
Does bamboo have a future in Europe? Read the story behind the research ‘Bamboo Europe’ of Crissi Apostolidis and Tjeerd Veenhoven
Bamboo grows fast, enriches poor soils and absorbs lots of CO2. Until now, we mainly imported this type of wood from Asia. But with the introduction of a large-scale bamboo plantation in Europe, there is now more room for research into building a sustainable bamboo value chain. That was precisely the aim of the research […]
7 April 2025
Lianne van Roekel new programme manager NewTexEco
Since 1 April 2025, Lianne van Roekel has started as programme manager of the New Textile Ecosystems (NewTexEco) project. In the coming months, she will gradually take over the tasks of Lucie Huiskens, who is currently still acting as interim programme manager. Liaison between research and practiceLianne grew up in Nijmegen/Wijchen and has lived in […]
31 March 2025
Retrospective: LabTour Saxion Circular Textile Lab
During Circular Economy Week, Saxion Circular Textile Lab organised an exclusive tour. Led by Associate Lecturer Carlos Kuhlmann, participants discovered how old fabrics are transformed into new materials and how knitting silver yarn can lead to textile sensors for medical applications. Sustainable textile production The Sustainable & Functional Textiles professorship presented innovative chemical-mechanical processes and […]
28 March 2025
Kick-off project Designing Ecosystems for Care & Repair
Tuesday 27 March saw the official kick-off of Designing Ecosystems for Care & Repair (hereafter Care & Repair). This programme, stemming from our research community NewTexEco, was recently selected from 51 submissions by CLICKNL. As many as 25 companies and institutions have shown interest in Care & Repair. The project investigates what systemic solutions are […]
20 March 2025
Daniëlle Bruggeman inaugurates as associate professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Radboud University
Daniëlle Bruggeman today delivers her inaugural address as extraordinary professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Bruggeman has been a lecturer in Fashion at ArtEZ since 2017 and also teaches in the master’s programme Critical Fashion Practices. She is also a member of the NewTexEco programme team. In April 2024, she was […]
14 March 2025
Transition in the fashion industry: what went wrong?
Twan Eikelenboom zooms in on the transition in the fashion industry in the recently published Design Innovation Update #2. Where did things go wrong? Which designers and researchers are at the forefront working on solutions? And what is needed for a system-level transition? These updates are based on the insights from the Design Innovation Sessions […]
5 February 2025
Collaboration in textile technology thanks to 3D Robot Knitting Winter School
The second edition of the NewTexEco 3D Robot Knitting Winter School 2025 brought together textile professionals and students to explore the limits of advanced knitting technology. Participants had the unique opportunity to work with the advanced Shima Seiki WholeGarment 3D knitting machine. Special about this winter school is the diverse background of the participants, which […]
3 February 2025
‘Care Repair’ selected within programme Design Power & Transitions
CLICKNL’s new Design Power & Transitions programme is committed to developing knowledge and methods that enable us to better design for transitions. Because whether it is about designing for a climate-proof, healthy or safe Netherlands: designing for transitions requires strengthening design power. The new knowledge and methods that design practice needs and insights into how […]
30 January 2025
Successful Textile Surgery at Arnhem Uitnacht
NewTexEco’s Tjeerd Veenhoven, in collaboration with consortium partner Mode Partners 025, held another Textile Surgery during Arnhem’s Uitnacht at the Rembrandt Theatre. For the occasion, we invited 3 experts, Kim Leemans, Merel Wicker from Leemans & Wicker and Celia Geraerdts from Blueprint Amsterdam, to analyse visitors’ garments for textile type, origin, user history and sustainability. […]
15 December 2024
NewTexEco is taking shape as research community
Since April 2024, NewTexEco’s Danielle Bruggeman is professor of Fashion and Sustainability by special appointment at the Faculty of Arts at Radboud University in Nijmegen. In this role, she developed and now teaches the course ‘Sustainability in the Fashion Industries’ at Radboud University. For this course, MA students are currently doing research for several NewTexEco partners. A fine […]
5 December 2024
NewTexEco Introduces a User-Friendly Wardrobe Study Tool
Understanding consumer behavior is key to creating a more sustainable fashion industry. Since Maldini’s groundbreaking wardrobe research (2019), studies have focused on how people buy, care for, and dispose of their clothing. These insights help inform textile manufacturers, brands, policy-makers, and consumers, providing estimates of their environmental impact in terms of water, energy, and carbon […]
4 December 2024
Measures for a future-proof textile sector
The Circular Textiles Policy Programme was published this week. Part of the National Circular Economy Programme (NPCE) in which textiles is one of the product groups for which intensive policies, concrete targets and a behavioural strategy have been drawn up. The ‘Policy Programme Circular Textiles 2025-2030’ is an important next step towards the goal: a […]
4 December 2024
New subsidy helps entrepreneurs reuse and repair
The Ministry of IenW announced last week that the ‘Circulair implementeren en opschalen‘ subsidy scheme will start in January 2025! This was partly achieved because of all the positive responses the ministry received during the consultation phase. RVO Netherlands will implement the subsidy scheme. More information on their website.
Publications
Overview
E-pub
Bamboo Europe
Download
Guide
The Dutch circulair textile industry
This guide provides an overview of 115 Dutch textile organisations across the entire value chain and gives insight into the Netherlands’ circular textile ecosystem, with inspiring projects and collaborations. As a result, it provides a blueprint for future circular collaborations, both nationally and internationally.
Browse this guide
E-pub
New Applications for Seagrass
Final report of the Smart Solutions Project: New uses for seagrass.
Download
Report
Ecological Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Bamboo Cultivation in the Netherlands
Download
Article
KEEPING IT LOCAL: 3D-knitted fisherman’s jumpers for contemporary communities
Article on the project Keeping it Local, published in Jaarboek Kostuum 2023, a publication of the Dutch Costume Society.
Jaarboek Kostuum
Book
Exploring seagrass for sustainable design
Boek
Article
Clothes moths, solution to textile waste problem?
Article based on NWO/SIA Germ project ‘Natural Clearing Agents: using moths in a circular textile value chain’ (Oct 2021-Oct 2022). Article available only in Dutch.
Download
Report
Seagrass: Possible career or washed up?
Download
E-pub
Going Circular, going Cellulose
Download
Report
Circular Intimacies
This report, based on the research in ‘Going Eco Going Cellulose’ (Saxion/ArtEZ 2017-2019) describes a design-driven, multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary design approach and forms of co-creation, and offers insights into (newly developed) circular design principles.
Download
Report
Recommendations for a Circular Design Practice
This is a further development of ‘Closing the Loop Design Guideline for Recycling’, based on the research ‘Going Circular Going Cellulose’ (Saxion/ArtEZ, 2018-2020). This guideline provides practical tools for fashion and textile designers to achieve circular designs.
Download
Report
Creating a Circular Chain for European Moso Bamboo
Download
Conference Paper
Going Eco Going Dutch
This article presents the results of the research project ‘Going Eco, Going Dutch’ (2015-2017), which investigated the production, design and branding of fashion textiles made from locally produced hemp fibres in the Netherlands.
Download
Article
In textiles, sustainability is not an option, but a necessity!
Article available only in Dutch.
Download
Report
Closing the Loop Design Guideline for Recycling
A pilot guide for fashion designers developed in the Closing the Loop project (ArtEZ/Saxion, 2015-2017) describing a set of design and production guidelines that contribute to closing the textile value chain and have a positive impact on consumers and the environment, with minimal environmental impact.
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Report
Textile Recycling. An overview; a basis for a circular economy in the textile and clothing industry
Report on the negative environmental impact of textiles and how to reduce it, especially industrial and post-consumer textile recycling. Report available in Dutch only.
DownloadEvents
Overview
Amsterdam
Mon 07 Jul 2025 – Fri 11 Jul 2025
NewTexEco’s 3D knit Summer School 2025
Are you a professional, student or teacher with an affinity for knitting and want to learn a new technique? In this 5-day Summer School from July 7 – 11, 2025 at the Benno Premselahuis in Amsterdam, the principles of 3D WholeGarment knitting will be covered (in NL/ENG) by teacher and the lab coordinator of NewTexEco […]
Enschede Textile City, Lonnekerbrugstraat 99, 7547 AK,
Mon 07 Jul 2025 – Fri 11 Jul 2025
Summer School Weaving – Unique opportunity at Enschede Textile City
Discover the world of jacquard weaving during the Summer School Weaving!Especially for this occasion, our partner Enschede Textielstad will open its doors for a five-day summer course during which you will learn the basics of jacquard weaving and design. Under the guidance of professionals, you will work with professional weaving software and on an industrial […]
1931 Congress Centre
Wed 10 Sep 2025 – Thu 11 Sep 2025
Save the Date: Circular Textile Days
The Circular Textile Days is a business event that provides an excellent opportunity to meet new partners within the sustainable textile sector and to discover and discuss innovative circular textile solutions. NewTexEco will also be present, with network manager Floor van der Holst as point of contact. These two days are the perfect time to […]
AMFI
Thu 25 Sep 2025
Chain collaboration in fashion: myth or reality?
Invitation | Evening on the Amstel, a conversation on cooperation in a sustainable textile chain Sustainability and fair working conditions are becoming increasingly important – and with the upcoming EU directives, the textile and fashion sector will not be able to stay behind either. Whereas long-term cooperation between producers, suppliers and retailers is taken for […]