Europe is accelerating textile circularity — a major opportunity for the industry to take !

A European revision targeting textiles

On July 5th, the European Commission proposed a revision of the Waste Framework Directive, specifically targeting the textile sector — one of the most polluting and linear industries today.

🎯 The goal? Effective separate collection by 2025, and above all, the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles in all Member States. These systems would include dedicated funding for reuse, preparation for recycling, and textile waste management.

What textile EPR will change

👉 What changes?
Producers would be responsible for the costs of collecting, sorting, and treating the textiles they put on the market.
Member States will need to establish harmonized EPR systems for textiles, with eco-modulated contributions (based on durability, repairability, recyclability, etc.).
This paves the way for a more transparent, traceable, and circular ecosystem.

Ecollant’s view: an opportunity to seize

🔍 At Ecollant, we see this proposal as a strong signal: the regulatory framework is finally catching up with the environmental urgency and the innovations already happening on the ground.

We believe in an ambitious, fair, and actionable textile EPR system — one that truly supports circular models like ours, built on reuse, source sorting, and traceability.

👉 This directive is a great opportunity to build a real circular textile sector in Europe.
But for it to become a true driver of transformation, it must be designed as a systemic shift — not just a transfer of responsibility. It’s about backing an innovative, traceable, and scalable industry.

🔬 At Ecollant, we’ve developed a closed-loop recycling technology for polyamide, based on traceability and material analysis. A solution built to fit perfectly within an efficient EPR model — from collection all the way to regeneration into recycled polyamide yarn.

👉 To read the full European proposal: https://lnkd.in/eDUJR9uh

The Crucial Role of Startups in Fashion’s Green Transition: Our Take!

Fashion: an industry in need of transformation

Fashion, often seen as a field of creativity and self-expression, is also one of the most polluting industries. Responsible for 20% of global wastewater and 10% of carbon emissions, the sector faces an urgent need for transformation. Startups are at the heart of this shift, bringing essential innovation, agility, and environmental commitment to an industry that can be rigid and slow to evolve.

The key role of startups

Unlike large corporations, often constrained by heavy structures and complex processes, startups have the flexibility to explore groundbreaking solutions. They pioneer new materials—sometimes bio-based—, technologies for full traceability, and truly circular models.

At ECOLLANT, we’ve chosen to tackle a specific challenge: textile waste management, particularly polyamide blended with other fibers. This material, omnipresent in our clothing, presents a complex recycling challenge, which we address with an innovative extraction process that enables closed-loop recycling.

From innovation to impact: the power of collaboration

🔹 But innovation alone is not enough.
Real impact comes from strong collaborations with industrial players. By combining the agility of startups with the execution power of large companies, we can move from promising prototypes to large-scale implementation. This synergy significantly accelerates fashion’s green transition. In addition, consumer engagement, public policies, and financial support are essential to sustain a more sustainable industry.

💡 At ECOLLANT, we believe that fashion’s transformation must be a collective priority, an entire industry effort.
Thinking in terms of a full supply chain might take longer than isolated efforts, but it creates deeper impact, from collecting end-of-life textiles to launching circular products on the market.

♻️ From recycled to recyclable!

Since our founding in 2019, we’ve worked tirelessly to build a winning model, supported by key institutional players who have been instrumental in our journey. These partners, including the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region, AER BFC, ADEME, Bpifrance, and CHEMTECH, have trusted us with dedicated support programs and continue to accompany us toward our industrial-scale deployment.

📊 Data source:

  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2018 report: “Fashion and the Environment”, highlighting the massive environmental footprint of the textile industry.
  • The Good Goods article: “What is ‘Grand Export’?” – 2025.

Women in Industry & Tech: A Driver for Sustainable Innovation

Lady’J Tech: celebrating women in industry

At ECOLLANT, we firmly believe that industrial innovation thrives on diversity. That’s why we’re proud to see Agathe participate once again in Lady’J Tech, an event dedicated to showcasing the contributions of women in industry, technology, and innovation.

This inspiring day in Dijon was packed with insightful discussions and valuable exchanges:
🔬 Dij’ Innov Connect – Exploring the potential of public research and regional innovation
🏭 Lady’s Industry – Empowering women’s careers in industry and inspiring the next generation of talent
🌍 Women in Tech & Industry on an International Scale – Learning from three remarkable European women who are pushing the boundaries of innovation

The impact of deeptech innovation across industries was highlighted, particularly in healthcare, mobility and textiles.

Why diversity drives innovation

👉 Why does this matter?
Because bringing more women into industry means embracing fresh perspectives, innovative approaches, and more sustainable solutions. At ECOLLANT, we transform textile waste into valuable resources, and we know that building the industry of tomorrow requires diverse talents.

A huge thank you to the organizers and speakers who are driving real change! 🔥
Dijon Métropole & Ville de Dijon

➡️ What do you think are the key actions to accelerate women’s presence in tech and industry? 💬

#Flashback: When an Event Changes Everything, Nostalgia Kicks In 🌟

A look back at the European Circular Fashion Trophies

At the end of December, we had the honor of attending the 2024 edition of the European Circular Fashion Trophies, this time as 2022 laureates. 🏆♻️✂️

For us, this event was a direct time-travel back to 2022 in Lille, when we proudly stood as finalists, ready to pitch our project with impact. A bit nervous before stepping onto the stage, we spent time engaging with an inspiring and complementary ecosystem, meeting incredible projects like Blue&Pastel-Le Rêve Bleu, Juin fait le lin, MooM, Perpète, and Chandam.

Beyond the competition, this was the kind of event where we found ourselves aligned both with decision-makers—convinced we can help achieve the 2050 sustainability goals—and fellow greentech innovators.

🌱 Building Meaningful Collaborations

Building meaningful collaborations

One of the most exciting outcomes? Collaborating with forward-thinking individuals committed to textile waste collection within their companies.

A standout memory: Tristan Michel de la Morvonnais, CSR leader at SNCF Voyageurs Nord.
Inspired by our approach, he invited us to present ECOLLANT in his company’s monthly webinars, encouraging employees to collect and recycle their end-of-life polyamide textiles.

👉 The result?
A true success: SNCF employees embraced our vision, setting up internal collection points within their offices. 🚉 But the story didn’t stop there—ECOLLANT was invited to “Voyage en Nord,” a unique initiative where we boarded the Paris-Lille train to engage passengers in sustainability discussions… even taking the mic at the onboard café! 🎤

💼 What’s next?

The future: fashion brands and recyclers together

Beyond textile collection and the incredible exchanges we’ve had along the way, the future lies in collaborations between fashion brands and recyclers.
Our mission remains clear: help brands create truly sustainable collections using breakthrough textile recycling technologies.

A massive thank you to everyone who has crossed our path and contributed to growing this project. Every meeting matters, every opportunity opens new doors—and this is just the beginning! 🚀

🙏 Special thanks to Anthony Jaugeard and the entire team behind the European Circular Fashion Trophies—we’ll always be thrilled to attend this high-value European competition!

Wrapping Up Global Industrie 2025… What an Experience!

Global Industrie 2025: what an experience

Four intense days filled with inspiring connections, strategic discussions, and game-changing confirmations: the industry of the future is already taking shape, and ECOLLANT is proud to be part of it 🚀.

💬 “In this world, who are the front-line fighters besides the soldiers?”

This powerful statement from François Bayrou, delivered during his speech on Thursday, resonated deeply. Industry is on the front line—driving both reindustrialization and the ecological transition.

🔹 Key Takeaways from This Edition

Key takeaways from this edition

✔️ Circular economy is no longer a side topic—it’s now central to industrial strategies, unlocking real business opportunities.
ECOLLANT demonstrated this alongside fellow industrial pioneers like Carbon Waters, BATCONNECT, ENTENT, MAPEA, and many more.
💡 We proved that circularity is not only feasible—it’s profitable.

✔️ Strategic partnerships are accelerating the shift towards sustainability.
Discussions with industrial leaders, local authorities, and key players like ADEME and Métropole de Lyon highlight a shared commitment to scaling sustainable models.

✔️ The Collectif Startups Industrielles France is playing a vital role in helping innovations scale from prototype to full industrial deployment—a challenge we know all too well!
Special thanks to Véronique GRICOURT 🧩 for giving us the stage at CSI’s booth on Thursday, and to Alphadio Olory-Togbe for the great discussion on industrial scale-up in textiles!

🔹 What’s Next for ECOLLANT?

What’s next for Ecollant?

This event has reinforced our ambitions:
💪 Scaling up our polyamide recycling technology
♻️ Pushing for a zero-waste, circular textile industry
🚀 Strengthening our industrial partnerships to accelerate deployment

An enormous thank you to Bpifrance, La French Fab, Start Industrie, and everyone who made this #JourBleu possible!

The industry of the future will be circular—or it won’t exist at all. 💪

📸 Photo Credits: Alexandre Badot & Start Industrie

Industrial Pilot: A Key Milestone for Scaling Up

The industrial pilot: a key step to scaling up

Developing a technology in a laboratory is one thing. Making it work on a large scale is another challenge entirely. This is where the industrial pilot comes in—a crucial phase in the industrialization of any innovation, especially in a complex and underexplored field like textile recycling.

When it comes to recycling polyamide and complex textiles, the challenges are numerous.
An industrial pilot bridges the gap between scientific validation and large-scale implementation. It allows us to test the technology under near-real production and performance conditions, ensuring its economic and environmental viability. This is particularly critical in a project like ours 😉 Fanny Lhuilier, Florian Ribeiro, Louise Gilbert, Thomas Felpin, Faustine Berthy

Why is it such a strategic step?

✅ Stability & reliability: A demonstrator ensures the stability of the process at a larger scale, confirming its reproducibility in an industrial environment. By analyzing all industrial variables, we can validate the robustness of the system.

✅ Cost & investment control: Scaling up allows us to identify and optimize production costs, maintenance, and logistics, helping us refine our business model. Economic viability is crucial to ensuring the long-term success of an industrial-scale process.

✅ Scalability: A key question is whether the process can scale up efficiently. Only through an industrial pilot can we simulate the transition from a few hundred kilos to several tons of recycled material while maintaining performance.

The pilot at the heart of Ecollant’s strategy

At Ecollant, this industrial pilot is at the core of our strategy to revolutionize polyamide recycling from complex textiles. This project is preparing us to scale up our technology, ensuring optimized yields, viable production, and high-quality recycled material.

We know that a project like ours—at the crossroads of industry, chemistry, and the circular economy—requires a long-term vision. And we’re committed to making it a reality.

A look back at Textile 360: an inspiring event at the heart of the textile transition!

Ecollant at Textile 360

Last week, we were at Textile 360, an unmissable event organized by our long-time partner, Tremplin, which brings together a large part of the textile end-of-life chain every year. It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with the key players in this essential sector – from collectors and sorters to valorization startups, and the companies transforming these textiles into innovative materials.

Here’s a recap of this enriching evening:

Structuring and optimizing the textile sector

The Textile 360 presentation kicked off the discussions, sharing the latest advancements to structure and optimize the sector in France. The outlook is clear: it’s possible to give a second life to our used textiles through collaborations between complementary stakeholders. 👏 Virginie Belle!

Roundtable on innovative materials

The roundtable on innovative materials made from textile waste brought together key speakers: Cécile Martin from Refashion, Emmanuelle Ledoux from the National Institute of Circular Economy, @Corinne Farce from TECHTERA, Armand Bernoud from @Tissium, and Cédric NIEUTIN from Post Industrial Crafts.

They shared inspiring insights on the realities and promises of materials made from recycled textiles. Fascinating testimonies that remind us that, although challenges remain, innovative solutions are multiplying to transform the sector.

Finally, we wrapped up the evening with a sharing moment coordinated by the Tremplin01 teams, a perfect opportunity for exchanges and creating new synergies 😉 Pauline Gamore and very enjoyable to mutually discuss our progress, such as with Stan Muraczewski & Marine PERRAUD (Recyc’Elit🌍) for example.

These exchanges with our partners and other participants reaffirm our mission: each end-of-life textile can contribute to a more virtuous circular sector, both in open-loop and closed-loop systems. We are already looking forward to seeing how these initiatives will take shape and are eager to actively contribute to them!