Experts from 10 European countries met on 5 July 2023 under the EDA’s Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) to take forward project ideas supporting efforts towards circularity for textiles.
Within IF CEED, incubation groups, known as Project Circles, address both technological and organisational aspects in nine areas. Members of the Project Circle 'Circular Materials for Textiles' gathered at the premises of the research-and-technology organisation AITEX in Alcoy, Spain, for a session of three project ideas incubated in IF CEED.
These projects cover the lifecycle from design to reuse and recycling of products, contributing to a reduction in the environmental impact of armed forces, and improving their operational efficiency. The three ideas are:
Recycling / re-use / recovery of high value fibers from soldier equipment
Circularity by design of multifunctional textiles
Implementation of the Safe & Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework to smart textiles
These initiatives target a more efficient use of resources, via a circular approach, ensuring that military requirements are fulfilled.
Participants from Ministries of Defence, industry, research-and-technology organisations and academia used a holistic approach to the circular management of multifunctional textile structures from design (Safe-and-Sustainable by Design) to reuse and recycling, for applications such as 'Soldier Personal Protective Equipment'.
On this occasion, experts also took note of the first project on circularity of textiles implemented under the European Defence Fund - a consortium led by, and including, several stakeholders engaged in IF CEED. IF CEED will be further exploited in the coming months through a coordinated effort towards implementation of new projects.
