Greetings from Telavalue project

Telaketju’s third Telavalue project funded by Business Finland passed the halfway point in early February. The research work is progressing at a fast pace and also the experimental work regarding recycling and manufacturing demonstrations has mainly started.

Future value chains have been thought about with companies, and researchers are working on what kind of values ​​and effects can be obtained by changing textile production to a circular economy and more local—for example, from a global value chain to a European one. Accordingly, we have envisioned future textile reuse and product-as-a-service business models, and we are investigating the value and effects of these. We have also investigated the role of traceability, transparency and product data in the textile industry, with the aim of determining and evaluating a minimum model for data that meets the needs of the circular economy of the future.

In the production of textiles, we have focused on quality. In addition to finding out the quality requirements, we study the life expectancy of textile products, improving quality through various treatments and manufacturing processes, especially focusing on how product quality can be ensured when using recycled raw materials. Accordingly, we aim to focus on ensuring quality in the sorting, pre-processing, and recycling of textiles. In relation to these sections, we have done more theoretical investigation work, but the experimental work related to these phases will be a significant part of the Telavalue project, especially at the end of the project.

In addition to process experiments and development, we have already started to come up with ideas for demonstrations, which we aim to implement as widely as possible during the project. Demonstrations will be carried out in close cooperation with Telavalue companies, but to some extent also in cooperation with international partners. We have invited our most important international partners to the Science & Technology Board, whose operation started in autumn 2022.

A digital map of the actor analysis has been published and a report on recycling technologies will be published in March. Overall, the prospects for the realization of the project’s goals are good and many other results will be published during 2023. The project will continue until January 2024 and the final report is expected during the spring of 2024.

Regards,
Pirjo Heikkilä
VTT’s Senior Scientist and project manager
Telavalue project coordinator