Project update
Knit2Last: from waste to innovationKnit2Last shows potential for high-quality wool recycling
The KIEM HighTech project Knit2Last has reached an important first milestone. At Saxion’s Circular Textile Lab, researchers have succeeded in developing yarns and knitted fabrics made from mechanically recycled wool combined with virgin merino wool.
Initial knitting tests show that these recycled materials can be processed on industrial knitting machines. The project thus provides initial evidence that wool from end-of-life textile streams can be reused to produce high-quality knitted products.
Challenges in wool recycling
This is relevant because, despite its high quality, wool is currently recycled only to a limited extent. During the recycling process, fibres are often damaged, which reduces quality and limits the range of applications. Knit2Last is investigating how material choices and process settings can be optimised to minimise this loss of quality.
Research into the quality and performance of recycled wool
The upcoming research phase will focus on determining the impact of recycled fibres on properties such as the strength, appearance and lifespan of the end product. In addition, life-cycle analyses will be used to investigate the environmental benefits this approach can offer compared to conventional production methods.
What does this mean for the circular textile sector?
If the initial positive results continue, the project could help create new opportunities for the circular processing of wool and reduce the demand for new raw materials.
Collaboration between research and industry
Knit2Last is being carried out in close collaboration with industrial and research partners, including New Industrial Order and LCA expert Natascha van der Velden. This collaboration enables material properties, production processes and environmental impact to be examined holistically and translated into practical applications.
Project Updates
9 June 2026
Knit2Last shows potential for high-quality wool recycling
The KIEM HighTech project Knit2Last has reached an important first milestone. At Saxion’s Circular Textile Lab, researchers have succeeded in developing yarns and knitted fabrics made from mechanically recycled wool combined with virgin merino wool. Initial knitting tests show that these recycled materials can be processed on industrial knitting machines. The project thus provides initial […]
9 June 2026
De Klerenpartij brings circular fashion to the council chamber
What if clothes had a voice? That question lies at the heart of De Klerenpartij, an initiative by fashion researchers, students and companies from the NewTexEco network. By giving clothes a political voice, the initiative aims to spark a conversation about the systems behind fashion consumption and their impact on people and the environment. Current […]
8 June 2026
Jens Oelerich officially appointed as Professor of Sustainable & Functional Textiles
On 28 May, Dr Jens Oelerich was officially installed as Professor of Sustainable & Functional Textiles at Saxion. During a symposium and inaugural lecture, the focus was on the role of research, education and collaboration in the transition to a circular textile industry. The day brought together researchers, businesses, educational institutions and other partners from […]
1 June 2026
Fashion education for sustainable and inclusive future
The international Erasmus+ project CIRCUFash – Circular Urban Fashion: Europe’s Inclusive Renaissance brings together European partners to innovate fashion education and make the sector more sustainable, social and inclusive. From 2026 to 2027, researchers, designers and civil society organisations, led by the Fashion Design & Identity lectorate(Hogeschool van Amsterdam) and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI), […]
28 May 2026
Interim results project Care & Repair
The Care & Repair project is in full swing. On Wednesday 8 April, the second phase was kicked off at ArtEZ University of the Arts. In this phase, which runs until October 2026, we will work with partners in the field to design and develop concrete concepts and interventions around maintenance and repair of clothing. […]
20 May 2026
Symposium The New Thread success
The first edition of the symposium The New Thread was completely sold out. The large turnout and the energy in the room underlined the broad commitment within the textile sector. The programme came about thanks to contributions from several NewTexEco partners, including Fibershed, De Museumfabriek and Enschede Textielstad. The morning focused on circularity. Presentations and […]
20 May 2026
International collaboration highlights NewTexEco’s approach to sustainable textile transformation
At the invitation of the organisers of the project Repair the Fabric: Healing Voices and Patterns Across Generations, Perica Savanović, Professor of Design at ArtEZ University of the Arts and lead professor within NewTexEco, delivered a keynote lecture during the project’s closing event in Belgrade. The invitation followed international interest in the e-magazine From Loose […]
19 May 2026
Join the survey on the Digital Product Passport for textiles
What does a workable and reliable Digital Product Passport (DPP) for textiles look like in practice? Within the NewTexEco project on the Digital Product Passport, researchers and professionals from the textile chain are jointly investigating which information is actually needed, feasible and usable. The first round of Delphi research within the M-DPP project has now […]
19 May 2026
Hogeschool van Amsterdam welcomes international Textile ETP Conference
At a crucial moment for the European textile and fashion industry, the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) welcomes the international Textile ETP Conference from 26 to 28 May 2026; the European platform for future-proof clothing and textiles. In Amsterdam, science and industry will consider the profound change that awaits the sector, thanks to new European laws […]
19 May 2026
Lucie Huiskens joined advisory board NewTexEco
From 1 May, Lucie Huiskens joins NewTexEco’s advisory board. She was previously involved in our research and knowledge network as programme coordinator. Last year, she handed over her duties to Lianne van Roekel and took leave of the core team. During that period, she also published, during Dutch Design Week, the e-magazine From loose threads […]
18 May 2026
Updates from the Steering Committee
José Teunissen was appointed interim dean of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences on 1 May 2026, succeeding her predecessor Frank Kresin. In this new role, she joins the steering committee of NewTexEco. She will remain involved as professor within the Fashion Design & Identity research group (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences). Frank Kresin has […]
18 May 2026
Projects wanted for Smart Solutions Semester Saxion
Saxion will restart the Smart Solutions Semester in September 2026, in which around 900 students will work in interdisciplinary teams on current and complex issues from professional practice and lectureships. For Learning Community 37: Sustainable & Functional Textiles, Saxion is looking for new projects from the field and partners. Within the Smart Solutions Semester, student […]
18 May 2026
Cotton-rich textile waste as cellulose fibre feedstock
The textile industry faces a major challenge: the demand for fibre is growing, while the impact of traditional raw materials is becoming increasingly visible. Cotton cultivation requires a lot of water and arable land, while synthetic fibres are under pressure due to microplastics emissions. At the same time, the amount of textile waste is increasing […]
29 April 2026
Preview: students preparing for State of Fashion
Students from the Master’s programme in Critical Fashion Practices at ArtEZ University of the Arts recently held their presentations and reviews as part of the Professorship assignment on (In)visible Labour. This moment marks an important intermediate step within the ongoing research project. The presentations give a first glimpse of the work that students will continue […]
8 April 2026
Participate in research on sustainable textiles
The research team of Hogeschool van Amsterdam invites companies to participate in a new research project within NewTexEco: The Business Case for Durability: Collaborative Value Creation in Circular Textile Ecosystems (BUDUCE). The project investigates how collaborative models in circular textile chains create, deliver and retain value for all parties involved. Sustainability as a system driver […]
2 April 2026
Shape the Digital Product Passport for textiles
In addition to the Industry Living Lab workshop series, such as the one held on 13 April 2026, the Molecular Digital Physical Product Passport Project (M-DPP project) is conducting a Delphi Stakeholder Consultation – a structured, multi-stage process designed to form an informed picture of what Digital Product Passports actually require in practice within the […]
23 March 2026
Tax on cheap Chinese packages, a good idea?
A dress for five euros, play sand for a tenner, or a phone case that costs less than a cup of coffee. Chinese online shops are flooding Europe with spot-cheap products and that is not without consequences. The European Commission is therefore going to introduce a tax on cheap packages from outside the EU from […]
4 March 2026
Care & Repair in education and society
What happens when you put a washing machine in the middle of the central hall of ArtEZ University of the Arts and ask students and, later in the streets, shoppers about their clothing and washing habits? This 3-minute short doc makes Care & Repair‘ s research directly visible and approachable. In this short-doc, project leader […]
3 March 2026
Dutch people and their wardrobes: what the figures show
The transition to a circular textile system starts not only in design and production, but also in consumers’ wardrobes. This is according to recent research by Hogeschool Rotterdam, conducted in collaboration with several colleges and our research consortium NewTexEco. The study, based on the analysis of 958 wardrobes of Dutch people aged between 15 and […]
2 March 2026
Techtextil 2026: Netherlands as frontrunner in circular textiles
From 21 to 24 April, the Netherlands will present itself at Techtextil in Frankfurt with the pavilion ‘NL Circular Textile Solutions – Ready for Europe’. This will show that the Netherlands is an international leader in circular textiles and digital innovation. As a connecting research and innovation platform, we are proud that several partners from […]