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Traditional repair options were not only inefficient but also difficult to scale across the volume De Kringwinkel handles. It became clear that to make a meaningful impact on garment reuse, zipper repair had to become faster, easier, and more accessible, both for internal reuse purposes and for customer-facing services. The CISUTAC repair station was developed to address this need, with De Kringwinkel becoming its first real-world test site, allowing the innovation to be embedded directly into reuse operations.

As concerns over textile waste continue to grow, the CISUTAC project partner RREUSE released a crucial new report, “Unlocking Opportunities for Circular Business Models in Textiles: Phasing out Linearity”. Released in September 2024, this report provides a comprehensive overview of the current repair, reuse, and recycling systems across the EU, revealing both the challenges and opportunities within the circular textile economy.

In March 2022, the European Commission embarked on a transformative journey for textiles with its EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, aiming, among other, to revolutionise waste management and consumption habits in Europe's textile industry. As part of the CISUTAC projetc, RISE and Centexbel released a comprehensive report titled "Circular Transition Scenarios & Software for Post-Consumer Textile Waste Channelling" that serves as a guiding compass, offering insights into various pathways for Europe's textile industry to achieve a circular future.

In the quest for a more sustainable future, recycling protective workwear like firefighter suits is a unique challenge. To address this issue, CISUTAC partner PCH Innovations developed a cutting-edge workstation aims to automate the disassembly of firefighter suits, making it more efficient and cost-effective. With their solution, PCH Innovations combines human flexibility with smart machines to streamline the workflow.

While most zipper repairs are done using standard sewing machines, the process can be challenging. To address this issue, CISUTAC partner PCH Innovations created a modular, semi-automated solution that can adapt to different processes and materials, allowing operators to work more quickly and efficiently.