Final Report Research Project CWW - Circular Workwear

The textile industry is facing profound change worldwide, triggered by economic, regulatory and geopolitical challenges. The circular economy model offers key strategies for the sustainable management of used textiles. In order to implement circular material flows and business models, comprehensive transformations are necessary in all process steps, as well as close cooperation between all stakeholders along the entire value chain. The CWW - Circular Workwear project, funded by Innosuisse, supports this transformation process in the field of workwear through circular design strategies, washing and usage processes up to end-of-life, and data-driven strategies for the circular economy. The final report provides insight into, among other topics, the piloted and data-based sorting and cleaning of old clothing, prototypes for new, circular workwear made from recycled workwear, and the Circular Workwear Indicator Tool for assessing the recyclability of workwear.

This report is based on the findings of the CWW – Circular Workwear research project (102.233 IP-SBM), which was co-funded by Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency. Led by the Product and Textile Research Group at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Design Film Art, the project was carried out in cooperation with research partners HSLU Technology & Architecture and HSLU Computer Science, as well as the following industry partners: CWS Workwear Schweiz AG, Texaid-Textilverwertungs-AG, HÜSLER Berufskleider AG, Datamars SA, Coop Genossenschaft, Säntis Textiles and Sustainable Textiles Switzerland 2030. The project objectives support the transformation process from linear structures to a circular textile economy in the field of workwear.