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Kreislauffähige Produktklone: Start der 2. Phase

News
15.08.2022

Recyclable product clones: Start of the 2nd project phase

Now that the first phase has been successfully completed, the aim is to include further product categories.

In 2021, the Recycling Working Group of the Expert Group on the Circular Economy launched the project "Recyclable Product Clones" . The aim is to develop more sustainable and recyclable updates of products, to counter conventional linear designs with alternative approaches and to develop innovative solutions for recyclable products.

Product clones refer to the reproduction of an object that is made from recycled raw materials and meets the criteria of longevity, recyclability and circularity. Thus, the product clone is not a copy, but an improvement of the original. The style and basic functions of the original are retained. This process reduces the ecological footprint of the product as much as possible.

In cooperation with the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology (FTB) at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, nine Partnership companies had ten of their products, including outdoor trousers, a wedding dress and socks, analysed in the first phase of the project with regard to criteria that are crucial for a sustainable circular economy: Circularity, longevity, purity of type and recyclability.

The follow-up phase of the project is based on the same foundation: identify levers for adjustment, alternative solutions and new concepts. In phase 2, design constructions are now being drafted for further product categories in order to derive product-specific recommendations for companies. Thus, companies will receive specific guidelines on how they can improve their products in terms of a sustainable circular economy. Five Partnership companies are participating and have some of their jackets analysed. The results are to be presented in spring 2023.

These members are participating: