Textileetp Sira 2016

Towards a 4th
Industrial Revolution
of Textiles and Clothing
A Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda
for the European Textile and Clothing Industry
October 2016
Welcome message
Dear Reader,
The present document is the result of a process involving hundreds of textile research, technology and indus-
try experts from across Europe over a period of almost one year to identify and describe the major Strategic
Innovation Themes and corresponding Research Priorities of the European textile and clothing industry for the
next 10 years. This work was coordinated by the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and
Clothing, Europes most comprehensive expert network for textile research and innovation.
A similar work had been carried out shortly after creation of this network in 2005-6. At this time, we singled
out 3 major trends which we believed would shape the future of this industrial sector in the following 10 years.
These were:
The move from commodity to specialty products in all stages and subsectors of the textile value chain
The extension of the use of fibres and textiles as material of choice across many new and growing
application areas and end markets
The replacement of the traditional mass production concept in favour of a more flexible, customer-driven
integrated product development, production, distribution and service model
This vision was developed at a time when a significant part of Europes textile and clothing industry was in
the midst of a painful restructuring process to deal with the dramatically increased global competition in the
aftermath of the full liberalisation of global textile and clothing trade in 2005. Our underlying idea was that of
an inevitable shift to higher added value products. For companies, this often meant giving up production vol-
umes and only retaining the most attractive market niches, the need to conquer new markets beyond national
or European borders or even finding new applications for their materials and products in different sectors. It
also meant a greater investment in research, innovation, product and business development as well as skill and
competence upgrading of the workforce.
Now looking back over the last 10 years, our past analysis was spot-on. The productivity of the EU textile
and clothing industry increased an impressive 36% since 2004, exports have grown by 37% in value and many
technical textile markets have shown compound annual growth rates of up to 5-7%. Many more textile and
clothing companies are now investing regularly in research and innovation. Overall the EU textile and clothing
industry has become smaller in terms of production volume and employment, but has greatly strengthened its
competitiveness, resilience and diversification.
Over the next 10 years, new challenges await this industry. The constant flow of new textile materials with better
performance and smart functionalities will not stop, digitisation and clean high-tech manufacturing technologies
will become the norm in textile factories and value chains, resource efficiency and circularity will make the indus-
try and its products more sustainable and new growth markets in sectors such as health and sports, sustainable
transport and energy, construction and agriculture, entertainment and fashion look for innovative textile solutions.
I invite you to explore our new vision for Europes bright textile future in the following pages and I encourage
you to collaborate with the European Technology Platform for mutual benefit.
Paolo Canonico
President of the European Technology Platform
for the Future of Textiles and Clothing
Table of contents
Executive Summary 4
1. The European Textile and Clothing Industry Today and Tomorrow 6
2. The Strategic Innovation Themes and Research Priorities 9
Innovation Theme I
Smart, high-performance materials 10
Research Priority 1.1 High-performance fibres and textile materials 12
Research Priority 1.2 Novel 1, 2 and 3-dimensional fibre based structures 14
Research Priority 1.3 Multifunctional textile surfaces and related processing technologies 16
Research Priority 1.4 E-textiles for smart structures, functional interiors or smart wearable systems 18
Innovation Theme II
Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains and business models 20
Research Priority 2.1 New manufacturing technologies for efficient realisation of complex textile
and composite structures 22
Research Priority 2.2 Digitisation and flexibilisation of production processes and factories 24
Research Priority 2.3 Virtual modelling and design of fibre, and textile, based materials and products 26
Research Priority 2.4 Digitisation of the full textile-fashion value chain 28
Research Priority 2.5 New digitally-enabled business models 30
Innovation Theme III

Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency 32
Research Priority 3.1 Novel flexible process technologies to save water, energy and chemicals 34
Research Priority 3.2 High-tech textile recycling for circular economy concepts 36
Research Priority 3.3 Sustainable substitutes for hazardous or restricted textile processing and chemicals
and bio-chemistry based textile processing 38
Research Priority 3.4 Bio-refinery concepts utilising European agricultural and forestry resources, waste
or by-products for textile fibres and developing their processing and application aspects 40
Research Priority 3.5 Greater use of EU-origin natural fibres and improving their processing and application aspects 42
Innovation Theme IV
High value added solutions for attractive growth markets 44
Research Priority 4.1 Textile-based functional and smart products for Health, Sports and Personal Protection 46
Research Priority 4.2 Textile solutions to resource and protect a growing global population 48
Research Priority 4.3 Textile solutions for safe and energy-efficient buildings and smart interiors 50
Research Priority 4.4 Textile solutions for light-weight, clean and safe transport systems 52
Research Priority 4.5 Personalised Fashion and Functional wear products 54
3. Cross-cutting Innovation Drivers 56

3.1 Skills and education 56
3.2 Regional Excellence 57
3.3 The European Dimension 58
4. Game changers and long shots for 2025 and beyond 59
Glossary and terms 60

References and useful information sources 60
About the Textile ETP 60
Executive Summary
Ten years after the publication of the first Strategic Research A successful interplay of these four themes underpinned by positive
Agenda of the European Technology Platform in 2006, Europes end market conditions in Europe and major export destinations, the
textile and clothing research and industrial innovation community unsuitability of the prevailing offshoring logic for faster moving,
has undertaken a new collective exercise to identify the most stra- small volume markets and smart support for collaborative research,
tegic innovation themes and research priorities for this sector for innovation, education and training targeted especially at SMEs on
the next 10 years. local and regional level can lead to a veritable 4th Industrial Revolu-
tion of this sector in Europe.
The key innovation trends identified ten years ago - (1) move from
commodities to specialties, (2) use of textile materials in more The full potential of the 4 strategic Innovation Themes can only be
technical end markets and (3) move from mass production to cus- realised if the necessary knowledge and technological capacities
tomisation and added value services have largely played out as are developed and successfully introduced into industrial practise.
4 predicted and have led to an average higher added value creation 19 Research Priorities with over 90 specific research topics have
and a better competitiveness of the industry in Europe. The sec- been identified and described in detail. They have also been quali-
tor was able to stabilise its manufacturing base and employment in fied in terms of the main end markets in which they apply, the key
Europe, has increased its research, innovation, education and train- collaboration partners for successful research and technological
ing efforts, has shown steadily growing exports and more recently development work, the current Technology Readiness Levels, the
registered some noticeable production re-shoring trends. expected time frame until industrial demonstration is feasible and
the approximate investment level for an industry scale deployment
4 key innovation themes will shape of the technology.
the textile and clothing industry In the field of Materials Research, priorities identified include new
and improved high-performance fibres, novel 1, 2 and 3-dimen-
of the future: Advanced Materials, sional fibre-based structures, multifunctional textile surfaces and
Digitisation, Sustainability and New e-textiles with embedded ICT-enabled smart functions.
Growth Markets Research in the field of advanced and digitised Industrial Technolo-
gies and enabling ICT for new Business Models must focus on new
While these developments are expected to continue, additional manufacturing technologies for efficient realisation of complex
powerful innovation drivers will impact this industry in the coming textile and composite structures, digitisation and flexibilisation of
years. These include (1) digitisation of products, processes, facto- production processes and factories, virtual modelling and design
ries, workplaces, supply chains, distribution and retail, (2) sustain- of fibre - and textile - based materials and products, digitisation
ability, circularity and resource efficiency of materials, processes solutions for the full textile-fashion value chain and new digitally
and overall business operations and (3) the proliferation of new enabled business models.
business and consumption models based on sharing of productive
resources and final products, servitisation, pay-per-use or subscrip- Circular Economy and Eco-innovation in the sector will be enabled
tion models. by research on more water and energy-efficient textile processing
techniques, new recycling concepts and technologies, develop-
Four strategic Innovation Themes have been singled out as particu- ment of substitutes for hazardous process chemistry, the adoption
larly impactful for the further development of the European textile of biochemistry and bio-based material solutions as well as a better
and clothing industry. exploitation of natural fibres sources of European origin.
I. Smart, high-performance materials Textile innovations for high value added growth markets addressing
II. Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains the key Societal Challenges such as health and active ageing, mobil-
and business models ity, food and energy security, safety and sustainable construction
III. Circular economy and resource efficiency and infrastructures, secure and inclusive societies must be devel-
IV. High-value added solutions for attractive growth markets oped collaboratively with suppliers and end users in these markets.
Most of these new technologies and innovative solutions will be An important emphasis must also be put on the development of a
developed by industry itself together with its main material, tech- highly skilled and appropriately qualified workforce for Europes
nology and service providers as well as industrial customers and end textile and clothing sector. Some 600,000 job openings are expected
users. However, as some of these research priorities are currently in this industry until 2025. An important generational shift must be
at relatively low TRL levels and entail significant technological and accomplished, preserving specialised traditional skills and know-how
financial risk, public funding mainly directed at SMEs and their and acquiring the correct qualifications for the textile business of the
research partners is a crucial factor in the equation. future. For this to succeed, Europe must support and further develop
its world-leading textile education and training infrastructure.
Funding should to a large extent be provided at national and regional
level at which the implementation of less complex projects in well In the coming months and years, the European textile and cloth-
established trusted partnerships is often most effective. Here the ing research and innovation community organised in the European
funding opportunities need to be improved in many EU countries, Technology Platform will intensively engage with EU research and 5
also through a better leveraging of EU regional and structural funds innovation policy makers, programme managers and partners
dedicated to innovation investments. The recently launched Regio- from related industrial sectors and technology domains to further
Tex Initiative is engaging with textile regions across Europe and their improve the situation for textile-related collaborative research and
policy makers and textile innovation communities to raise awareness innovation in Europe.
for this need and stimulate cross-regional peer-to-peer learning.
It will also work towards a better general understanding of the great
More effective research economic and societal potential of an innovative and thriving textile
and clothing industry in Europe. The times of struggle and regress
and innovation support for SMEs are over. The industry and its research community look forward
with confidence to a textile future full of opportunities.
is needed - from HORIZON 2020
to the regional level
Still not all knowledge and technological capacities needed for the
realisation of international market leading innovation are necessar-
ily available at regional or national level. In these cases, European
funding for collaborative textile research and innovation is crucial.
The HORIZON 2020 Programme has so far shown mixed results
for the textile and clothing sector. Some high-potential projects in
cross-sectoral key innovation areas such as circular economy and
resource efficiency, digitisation and new business models have
been launched. However, heavy project preparation efforts and
average low success rates, have discouraged many sectoral key
research and industry players. The European textile research com-
munity therefore calls for improvements in HORIZON 2020 such as
a reduction of average project sizes and funding levels with more
funding allocated to smaller, shorter term projects, more economic
impact related project selection criteria and the introduction of an
SME-dedicated funding instrument based on cascading funding,
enabling representative organisations of thematic or sectoral SME
research and innovation communities to allocate very rapidly small-
scale grants to SME-led small consortia based on a simplified appli-
cation, evaluation and reporting system.
1. The European Textile and Clothing
Industry Today and Tomorrow
Smaller volumes higher values

+2,3% +2,5% -0,6% +1,8% +0,3% +3,6%
Over the last two decades the European textile and clothing sector, 100%
today representing a turnover of about 170 billion and employing
some 1.7 million people across 175,000 companies, has undergone
80%
a profound transformation. The industry, massively dominated by
small and medium-sized companies, largely abandoned low value
added mass production and commodity markets and opened a 60%
broad spectrum of new application areas for textile materials across
virtually all industrial and consumer sectors. The European indus- 40%
try has successfully maintained the higher value-adding positions
in the supply chain. Those that are typically linked to knowledge,
advanced technological capabilities and highly specialised skills. 20%
In the textile sector these include research, development, testing 0%

and highly flexible, strictly quality controlled manufacturing of func- Turnover Value added Investment Companies Employment Exports
tional, performance targeted fibres and textile materials and their 169 billions 45 billions 4 billions 174.000 1.700.000 45 billion
assembly into complex high-value components or products. It also Clothing Textile

includes design, efficient made-to-order manufacturing and rapid
delivery of textiles with a high fashion content or an outstanding sus- Positive key figures of the EU textile and clothing industry in 2015
tainability profile for the higher value clothing and interior markets.
6
140 30%
26,0 26,3
130 25,7
24,8 25%
22,4
120 19,9
20,5
19,0 20%
17,6 17,8
15,5 16,8
110
15%
100
10%
90
80 5%
70 0%
EU-27 EU-27 EU-27 EU-27 EU-27 EU-27 EU-28 EU-28 EU-28 EU-28 EU-28 EU-28
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Turnover Value added/empl. (indexed, 2010 = 100) Export/turnover in %
Fig. 1: Evolution of industry turnover, exports and labour productivity between 2004 and 2015 (source: Euratex)
Also in the clothing and fashion sector Europe retained the essen- The move up the value ladder is strongly visible in the economic fig-
tial creative value creation functions. These include design and ures of this sector across all of Europe and bodes well for the future
prototyping of fashionable and functional wear as well as branding, of this industry. Since 2004, the EU textile and clothing industry
merchandising and retail operations to position these products in increased its labour productivity by 36% and its exports to markets
the most attractive segments of the European and global consumer outside the EU by a cumulative 37%, not missing a single year of
markets. Southern and Eastern Europe in addition retained a signif- improvement. The low value-added mass production of standard
icant manufacturing capacity for premium and luxury clothing and fibres, textiles and clothing has largely left Europe, which resulted in
fashion products based on a highly skilled, specialised workforce a decrease in total turnover and employment. However, the remain-
combined with strict quality insurance, flexible operations and ing industry has greatly improved its competitiveness.
rapid delivery. Highly automated manufacturing operations of inte-
rior textiles including carpets are also still solidly present in Europe.
300,000
250,000 Circle sizes correspond to annual turnover (in ).

BE
DE
200,000
AT
150,000 FR
ES IT
100,000 UK
50,000 PT Others
PL
RO
0
0 50.000 100.000 150.000 200.000 250.000 300.000 350.000 400.000 450.000 500.000
Labour productivity (turnover in /employee) Employment (number)
Fig. 2: Turnover, employment, labour productivity of the 10 biggest textile and clothing producer countries in the EU (source: Euratex)
A further transfer away from Europe of highly skill-dependent and medical implants, from bridges to deep sea platforms, from fire-
knowledge-based manufacturing as well as the market-facing sec- fighting gear to clean room equipment, from high-tech green-
tion of this industry doesnt make much economic sense. Quite to houses to food processing plants. This was achieved through a
the opposite, increasing trends of customisation, less-but-better strong push into research and innovation, including specialty
consumption, faster time to market and sustainability offer real chemistry, fibre and textile machinery developments. It often
opportunities to re-shore some highly efficient small-scale manu- takes place in close collaboration with research centres and uni-
facturing units for both textiles and clothing. versities and with supplier and customer sectors from outside the
conventional textile value chains. Many of these large sectors such
as transport, construction, energy, food and agriculture, personal
Conquering new markets in Europe and the world protection or healthcare constantly look for new material solu-
tions that are more sustainable, lighter-weight, more functional,
Some 20 years ago the fate of the European textile and clothing safer or more affordable. As a result, most of the technical textile
industry almost entirely depended on the final consumption of markets are in growth mode in Europe and worldwide. A recent
clothing and home textiles of the European consumer. In the last EC study confirmed attractive market opportunities for the EU
two decades both the international market and the non-conven- technical textile industry, including its many SMEs, in major global
tional, i.e. non-clothing and non-interior, applications of textiles growth markets.
have grown into very sizeable drivers of the industry, leading to a
very healthy market diversification.
Continuous change to meet future challenges
European fashion and interior textile design and product quality
are in high demand among sophisticated and aspiring consumers The main structural adjustment due to the strong globalisation
around the globe, especially in the rapidly growing emerging mar- and market liberalisation push of the early 2000s has now been
kets. Exports have grown steadily over the last decade and the sec- achieved by the sector. The challenge and opportunity set for the
tor now ships almost 28% of its output to non-EU countries. Pro- coming years is much more diversified.
vided free and fair global trade is further strengthened in coming
years, this trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon. It will provide fur- The constant need to strive for greater cost-efficiency in all busi-
ther attractive market opportunities also for SMEs and maintains ness operations, the need to explore and defend profitable market
quality manufacturing, service and management jobs in Europe. niches, to closely follow or even anticipate the needs of the end
market while reacting to constantly evolving political, regulatory
A similarly impressive success story is being written by the tech- and financial market developments all this will remain an every-
nical textiles sector. This part of the industry provides materials, day reality for the European textile and clothing company. However,
components or final products often of high added value to many some newer very broad and potentially far-reaching challenges will
end markets - from airplanes to smartphones, from race cars to also need to be dealt with.
Consumption patterns are constantly shifting and some truly dis- to be managed and proven by companies of all sizes. Transparent
ruptive models such as subscription or pay-per-use systems for a supply chains which demonstrate compliance with environmen-
broad range of consumer products may eventually also impact the tal, health and social legislation, standards and best practices will
textile and clothing sector. The rise of the collaborative or sharing have to become the norm. Circularity and excellent corporate gov-
economy enabled by collaboration platforms represents both chal- ernance will have to be integrated into business practices of every
lenges and opportunities for textile and clothing businesses. company to ensure they remain a welcome and respected actor in
their local community.
Digitisation of design, manufacturing, distribution, consumer/end
user interaction or even the product itself has the potential to upend In 2015, the European Commissions Joint Research Centre brought
established business models or turn traditional supply chains on their together over 50 experts from all domains related to textile research,
head. While a change as dramatic as in the media industry is not education, technology, industry, trade and policy from across Europe
expected for the textile and clothing sector in the near future, some to map out an industry vision with a target horizon of 2025. A broad
significant challenges and opportunities start to emerge. Online dis- range of external agents of change emanating from society, econ-
tribution and direct virtual channels to the consumer reduce the need omy, technology, policy and environment as well as drivers and con-
for middlemen (agents, wholesalers, shop assistants etc.) and enable straints of development was taken into account. As a results of a
designers and producers to collect direct feedback from end users series of workshops the below Industry Vision 2025 was developed.
and provide value-adding services around their products. However,
it also requires the capacity to do this professionally and efficiently. It captures many of the underlying concepts on which this present
Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda is based. Many of the
Sustainability, with its economic, environmental and social dimen- Innovation Themes and Research Priorities detailed in the following
sions, challenges many of todays operations in the textile and chapters will form the strategies and tools with which this future
clothing industry. Greater efficiency and responsibility in the use vision will be realised.
8 of resources whether they are materials, water or energy will have
FUTURE VISION 2025

Digitisation By 2025 the textiles and clothing industry, including fibre-
Virtualisation based materials, clothing, home and technical textiles, will
be a strategic EU industry sector providing innovative and
competitive products enabling personalised, adaptable and
Key
attractive solutions, integrating services for very diverse,
Sharing/Collaboration informed and demanding consumers and business.
Pay-per-use
Trends It will operate according to a globalised and efficient circular
economic model that maximises the use of local resources,
exploits advanced manufacturing techniques and engages
in cross-sectorial collaborations and strategic clusters. It
Sustainability will implement profitable and inclusive business models and
Circularity attract skilled and talented entrepreneurs and employees.
European Commission Joint Research Centre
Industrial Landscape Vision Study 2025, January 2016
2. The Strategic Innovation
Themes and Research Priorities
In a process involving hundreds of textile research, technology Significant technological progress, successful pilot demonstra-
and industry experts from across Europe over a period of almost tion and subsequent rapid industrial adoption across this broad
one year, the major Strategic Innovation Themes and correspond- field of innovation themes and research topics will enable the
ing Research Priorities for the next 10 years have been identified, European textile and clothing industry to unleash a product,
structured and described in detail. All research topics have further process, service and management innovation boost and lead
been qualified in terms of the major end markets they address, the to a veritable 4th Industrial Revolution for this sector in Europe.
additional knowledge providers or co-developers they require, their
Technology Readiness Levels and time horizons until early indus-
try adoption as well as the approximate scale of investment for an
industry-scale pilot system or prototype.
Innovation Theme I
Smart, high-performance materials
Research Priority 1.1 High-performance fibres and textile materials for technical applications
Research Priority 1.2 Novel 1, 2 or 3-dimensional fibre based structures for technical applications
Research Priority 1.3 Multifunctional textile surfaces and related processing technologies
Research Priority 1.4 E-textiles for smart structures, functional interiors or smart wearable systems
9
Innovation Theme II
Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains and business models
Research Priority 2.1 New manufacturing technologies for efficient realisation of complex textile
and composite structures
Research Priority 2.2 Digitisation and flexibilisation of production processes and factories
Research Priority 2.3 Virtual modelling and design of fibre- and textile-based materials and products
Research Priority 2.4 Digitisation of the full textile-fashion value chain
Research Priority 2.5 New digitally-enabled business models

Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency
Research Priority 3.1 Novel flexible process technologies to save water, energy and chemicals
Research Priority 3.2 High-tech textile recycling for circular economy concepts
Research Priority 3.3 Sustainable substitutes for hazardous or restricted textile processing chemicals
or bio-chemistry based textile processing
Research Priority 3.4 Bio-refinery concepts using European biomass or waste for textile fibres
Research Priority 3.5 Greater use of EU-origin natural fibres
Innovation Theme IV
High-value added solutions for attractive growth markets
Research Priority 4.1 Functional and smart textile solutions for health, sports and personal protection
Research Priority 4.2 Textile solutions to resource and protect a growing global population
Research Priority 4.3 Textile solutions for safe, energy-efficient buildings and smart interiors
Research Priority 4.4 Textile solutions for light-weight, clean and safe transport systems
Research Priority 4.5 Personalised fashion and functional wear products
Innovation Theme I
High-performance material solutions

In analogy to the spider web, man-made fibres and filaments as For the more exotic fibre classes such as ceramics, basalt or
well as 2D or 3D materials made out of them can exhibit astonish- niche polymer-based fibres including nano-fibres, research needs
ing strength and durability despite their rather fragile appearance, to focus on the exploration of applications that truly require
flexibility and light weight. This very fact has allowed the textile their specific performance characteristics. There is also a need
industry to bring their material and manufacturing competences to to establish pilot plants for their manufacturing at scale to make
many sectors which traditionally relied on heavier, bulkier materials them reliably and affordably available to downstream industry
such as metals, ceramics, concrete etc. users in Europe.
High-performance fibres made of polymers, carbon, glass, basalt, Also the exploration of bio-based high performance fibres or fibre
ceramics or metals have been invented many decades ago and have precursors, whether from cellulosic or other biological origins, can
been used since then primarily in niche applications in the aero- yield interesting solutions for certain niches of the high-perfor-
space, defence, construction, protection and sports markets. How- mance materials market.
10 ever, lack of knowledge about the characteristics of these materi-
als as well as more complex manufacturing processes which made
these fibre-based materials typically more expensive than tradi- Functional solutions for very specific challenges
tional materials often limited their broad adoption.
The potential for processing fibres and textiles in specific ways so
The trifecta of better material knowledge, more efficient manufac- as to reach a highly purpose-targeted material property is practi-
turing and increasing end market demand for lighter performance cally endless. It can start at the fibre level where the use of different
material solutions is changing this situation rapidly. Worldwide additives and finishes during fibre or filament production can lead
demand for carbon fibres has more than tripled over the last 15 to widely differing properties for the same base fibre.
years on the back of strong demand from the aerospace sector, but
even stronger growth is expected for the coming years based on Another option for polymer-based man-made fibres is the reali-
growing demand from the high volume automotive and construc- sation of multicomponent fibres or filaments through the combi-
tion markets. nation of two (or more) different polymers during the extrusion
process. It is also possible to give a fibre a specific geometry in its
For the coming years, research and technology development in the diameter and thereby change its properties.
more established performance fibre classes such as high-tenacity
polymers, carbon or glass must focus on further increasing the pro- Once fibres and filaments are processed into yarns or fabrics a fur-
ductivity and efficiency of their production and further processing ther vast array of functionalisation options exist through chemical,
into 2D sheets and 3D components, mainly composites, to raise mechanical and many other ways of altering the material surface or
their competitiveness against traditional materials. by adding additional material layers.
Such functionalisation can increase the value of a fibre or textile materials and products has grown dramatically. Textiles can bring
many-fold and make it suitable for the most specific and unex- advantages especially for applications where large surface areas
pected applications. Functionalised fibres and textiles are in strong or flexible covers are required or where light weight, comfort and
demand in high value growth markets such as health care, personal soft touch are desirable. In addition to electronic or digital capabil-
protection, sports, functional interiors or filtration. ities, engineered textiles can also smartly respond to temperature,
moisture, photochromic, (bio)chemical or physical stimuli offering
interesting innovation potential for smart medical solutions, sports
and work wear, clothing for the elderly or other people with special
needs for functional interiors.
Research and technological development must find perfect combina-

tions of textile material and smart components focussing on end user
functionality, durability, manufacturing cost and efficiency as well as 11
ease of use and maintenance including where necessary washability.
Standardisation and certification as well as end user awareness and
education are further important hurdles to be overcome.
Insertion of a conductive thread into a textile layer (source: STFI) A specific challenge valid for all types of high-performance, func-
tional or smart textiles is the aspect of re-use or recycling for which
Laboratory research has proven the technical feasibility of many new technologically feasible and economically sound solutions need to
fibre or fabric functionalisation processes over the last decade. Some be developed in parallel to the growing introduction of such mate-
of these new technologies have reached industrial maturity and show rials in many sectors.
interesting market adoption. Many others still struggle with indus-
trial scale-up, cost and market demand problems. Research and tech- Europe has a unique leadership position in the high-performance,
nological development must focus on these problems to give the functional and smart textile material sector, but many other world
European industry additional options for realising high-added value regions are catching up quickly with the increasing economic impor-
performance targeted textile solutions at competitive cost. Pilot tance of such materials. More research and innovation to maintain
installations at industrial scale or semi-industrial test-beds at technol- and further improve Europes position is therefore highly strategic
ogy centres or cluster facilities with easy access for potential indus- as strong material production and processing competences and
trial users and in close collaboration with technology developers and capacities are at the origin of strong global market positions in many
providers of processing chemicals are needed. key future markets from mobility and energy, to health and safety.
Smarting up materials and products

The addition of smartness or intelligence to a textile-based product
can start at the smallest material building block, the fibre, but can
equally happen at any subsequent stage of processing, manufac-
turing or assembly of the final system, may it be a medical device, a
firefighter suit or a smart car or home interior. Sensing, actuation,
power generation or storage, communication and a host of other
functions have already been successfully integrated into many tex-
tile materials and products at least in a prototype setting or in some
cases such as wearable heart rate sensors, smart floor coverings,
seismic wallpaper or smart filters up to market maturity. With
the advent of the smart wearables revolution and the Internet of
Things, the interest and concrete value-adding potential for such
Research Priority
1.1 High-performance fibres and textile materials
Key technological challenges and innovation targets

More development of fibres designed for high performance appli- Other sectors
cations is needed. Specifically, these new fibres will be a key player Demand for cost-effective fibre-based materials for applications
in growing or newly emerging markets for technical textiles and under extreme conditions such as gas turbines, aircraft engines
fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites. In order to establish or space technology will provide interesting potential for ceramic
these new or improved high performance fibres in the market, all fibres/reinforcements.
factors involved in their production and application must be taken
into account. The following challenges have been identified: Multifunctional fibres are also expected to affect other high value
Need of new high performance fibres with improved properties added globally growing sectors such as medical technology and sup-
obtained in more cost-effective production plies, sport and personal protection as well as functional interiors.
Need of new multifunctional fibres, which will open the door to
new applications and markets.
Need of new processing technologies.
Cost-effective recycling of high performance fibre based
materials.
Composite industries
Lightweight, high-strength and high-stiffness composite materials
have been identified as a key cross-cutting technology enable to
transform several large industrial sectors such as automotive, aero-
space, industrial equipment, energy infrastructure or construction.
Taking into account that the composite manufacturing implies an
average five-fold increase of the simple fibre cost, it is clear that
the added value is inherent in the engineering process to produce
advanced yarns, tapes, fabrics and final products. Cross-section of multifunctional fibres (source: CeNTI)
12
Research Topics
1.1.1 Development of cost effective high-performance fibres focused on:

Carbon tow based on alternative polymers (incl. bio-based) and ultra-fine fibre varieties (micro-denier)
New ceramic fibres for high temperature applications
1.1.2 Improvement of mechanical properties of fibres and increasing their production efficiency:
Development of a broader range of cost-effective hightenacity and high modulus fibres, incl. nano-fibres
Realisation of filaments, yarns or hybrid yarns based on one or several high-performance fibres or customised blends of high-performance
with standard fibres
Development of fibres, filament and yarns with significantly better cost/performance ratios
1.1.3 Development of multicomponent and multifunctional fibres:

for medical or sports applications (e.g. better skin/bio-compatibility, release of active agents etc.)
for sensing applications (temperature, deformation and vibration for health monitoring of structures under different load conditions)
for vehicles, for water, land and air transportation (e.g. functional interiors, better safety systems etc.)
Using complex geometries (bi/tri-component fibres) in order to achieve cost-effective functional fibres.
1.1.4 Developments of new functional fibre finishings:

new sizing agents for advanced thermoplastic matrices
for realising electric isolation, magnetic shielding and other properties
for obtaining more effective piezoresistive and/or piezoelectric fibres
1.1.5 Development of new methods for producing hybrids yarns composed of high-performance fibres and conventional fibres
for realisation of customized solutions
for achieving optimised performance / cost ratio
1.1.6 Recycling of high performance fibres coming from composites and technical textiles
providing sustainable solutions for an expected fast growing waste material category
realising cost-effective, performance enhancement of other materials by adding reclaimed high-performance fibres
(eg. non-wovens with carbon fibers)
Requirements for industrial scale demonstration and market take-up

The actions needed to ensure the prompt market adoption are spe- The below graphic represent a trend of the composites materials in
cific for each product and for each targeted sector. However, there the aeronautic industry, where the fibres and textiles have been a
are common issues that must be taken into account: significant source of innovation either by functionalisation or per-
A key issue to produce high performance fibres with enhanced formance improvement.
properties is to ensure the raw material supply, especially when
the raw materials are coming from renewable resources, which
can limit its availability. A clear example is the new carbon
fibres coming from lignin: To obtain enough amount of lignin
is difficult and this low availability, together with other factors,
is limiting the development of high performance fibres using
lignin as a raw material.
The market of the high performance fibres (automotive,
aeronautics, etc.) is deeply affected by the standardization
issues. It means that it is quite important to tackle these issues
during the post research activities (e.g. Multifunctional fibres will
Airbus A350 XWB Structure. (source: Airbus)
be used in medical applications; this sector is affected by a quite
strict regulation so it must be taken into account). Light airframe using 53% composites
Carbon-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)
Other cross-cutting issues must be taken into account, such as no corrosion and fatigue tasks
the financing. It is important to note that the up-scaling of the Wings
Centre wing box and keel beam
high performance fibres production is quite expensive and, at Tail cone
the same time, to achieve enough production volume is crucial Skin panels
to reach a cost-effective production of these fibres. Financing Frames, stringers and doublers
Door (passenger and cargo)
tools must be available in order to introduce the new high
performance fibres in the market.
13
Required key collaboration Time horizon to Pilot

Application sectors partners/competences TRL industrial pilot readiness investment scale
Sport, Protection, Advanced material, industrial 3-5 Medium-long Medium-Large

Automotive and aeronautic, processing, engineering
Construction,
All Nanotechnology, advanced materials, 6 Medium Medium

High performance polymers;
Sports, Medical, automotive materials/composites, 5-6 Medium Medium

and aeronautic Protection mechanical engineering
construction electronics, ICT/software
engineering,
All Chemistry, advanced composites 6-7 Short-medium Medium
All Advanced materials, composites, 5-7 Short-medium Medium

engineering.
Protection, Automotive, nano-technology, chemistry, advanced 4-6 Medium-long Medium-Large

Construction, Industrial materials/composites
Research Priority
1.2 Novel 1, 2 and 3-dimensional fibre based structures

Fibre based structures for technical applications have the poten-
tial to outperform other materials like steel or aluminium. Still, this
potential is currently far from being realised. Novel 1, 2 or 3-dimen-
sional fibre based structures for technical applications are a way to
overcome this gap. Key drivers for the use of innovative fibre based
structures are e.g. lightweight applications, but also possible func-
tional integration like improved thermal conductivity or heat trans-
fer structures.
Optimal material utilisation in these novel structures is essential

to make fibre-based materials cost-competitive. Most promising
approaches include tailored textiles, where the textile structures
are adapted to the application requirements on every scale from
the 1st to the 3rd dimension.
These structures can show superior properties, but will also require
new production approaches and manufacturing technologies. It
is expected that 3D textiles structures will play a more and more
important role in several fields of technical application such as the
aerospace, automotive, construction and medical sectors.
The main aim of these developments is to obtain a better material

performance with greater resources efficiency at less cost.
Reinforced non-crimp fabric and tailored fiber placement

14
(source: ITA)
Research Topics
1.2.1 Establishing of a comprehensive product development for composite parts based on tailored (locally reinforced) textiles
Adjusting textile processes to specific composite needs, integrating specialized modules for high modulus fibre processing, enabling cost
comparative 3D fibre-reinforced composites, limiting light-weight material cost to 3 /kg for volume market applications
1.2.2 Development of novel net shape 3D textile solutions

Providing novel design and production technology for the market by means of using a CAD based automated production chain, adjusting
of reinforcing properties by using hybrid yarns consisting of a reinforcing and a matrix component, reduction of production cost of about
20% compared to current composite production, reduction of preforming effort by at least 30%, reduction of part weight by at least 40%
compared to actual non composite solutions, providing/increasing composite/preform integrated functionality by addressing issues such
as improved thermal, sound or crash behaviour
1.2.3 Performance-tailored technical textiles

Investigation of mechanical and geometrical properties for material/part design based on pattern etc.
Deriving production technology needs from advanced composite and 3D tailored fabrics for novel production module development,
design of novel production modules. Advanced material modeling based on pattern, composition, geometry, surface structure etc.
1.2.4. Realisation of novel fibre based structures based on radically new production technologies
Exploration, demonstration and industry scale-up of electro spinning, 3D printing or other potential manufacturing technologies for
realisation of high-precision fibre-based structures

There are several post research actions needed in order to achieve
industrial production and market take-up of novel fibre-based
materials. Newly developed advanced fibre based structures for
technical applications need adapted certification and testing meth-
ods. A direct transfer of test and certification methods from con-
ventional materials is rarely possible, but without them acceptance
by end customers cannot be achieved.
Production technology needs to be tuned and readjusted for advanced

fibre based structures. The state of the art production technology is
in general not able to guarantee fast and reliable production of e.g.
hybrid 3D textile structures at the large scale required for volume mar-
kets such as automotive or construction. Furthermore there is a need
for design and modelling methods in order to predict the behaviour
of the advance textile structures. The methods are requirement for
the successful simulation of use and ageing in the targeted application
environments. Standards and best practice guidelines will help to fur-
ther implement the technical developments in the practice
Supply chains needs to developed or adjusted in order to realise the

full potential of the novel 1, 2 or 3-dimensional fibre based struc-
tures. Participants will have to rethink the traditional way of e.g.
designing structural element. This includes new ways within the life
cycle management. Also new recycling approaches will be needed
e.g. for hybrid material combinations.
Sewing technology for 3D fibre-based structures for the
15
automotive industry (source: Stutzncker GmbH)

Automotive, Construction, Materials/composites, mechanical 4-7 Medium Medium

Industrial engineering, electronics, design
Sport, Protection, Medical, Materials/composites, mechanical 4-7 Medium Medium

Automotive, Construction, engineering, electronics, design, ICT/software
Industrial engineering
Sport, Protection, Medical, Materials/composites, mechanical 4-7 Medium Medium

Automotive, Construction, engineering, electronics, design
Industrial
Fashion, Interiors, Sport Materials/composites, mechanical 5-7 Medium-long Medium

Protection, Medical, engineering, electronics, design
Automotive, Industrial
Research Priority
1.3 Multifunctional textile surfaces and related
processing technologies
Textile materials are functionalised either by making the material Important research efforts are required to improve the reliability and
absorb or react with chemicals in processes that typically involve durability of textile surface functions, to enable effective function-
water or solvents, heat and mechanical activation. Specialised alisation of textiles made of/with high-performance fibre materials
processes may also involve gases or plasma, hot melts, biological for the growing technical textile applications or to realise conductive
catalysts, UV radiation, laser or high pressure. Often also an addi- and smart textiles. Durability during use of functionalized textiles
tional thin layer of material (coating) is applied to the textile sur- can be impaired by abrasion, attack of bacteria or fungi, influence
face. Key innovation targets in textile functionalisation concern the of UV, temperature changes or other factors. Various textile treat-
reduction of use of resources such as energy, water and chemicals ments are being used to protect against degradation or damage or
for cost, environmental of safety reasons. Research topics related even restore or repair the initial properties. Besides the conventional
to this sustainability-related innovation theme are described in coating methodologies more and more focus is put on smart coatings
research priorities 3.1 and 3.3 below. to comply with these demands (self healing, nanolayers/additives).
Combined functionalities may lead to unstable formulations or decrease

the performance (negative effect of one functionality on the other).
When using multiple layers compatibility is needed to ensure sufficient
adhesion and non-migration effects. Adhesion is often the major chal-
lenge when treating high performance fibres or hybrid textile struc-
tures (e.g. in composites or smart textiles; see picture).The overall
challenges when working with textiles are still valid: feeling, flexibility
and stretchability are often impaired when treating a textile (e.g. when
using binders/additives adding a coating since the smart coatings are
often transferred from other sectors working on hard surfaces. For
some applications the roughness of the textile has a large impact on the
16 final properties and on the feasibility of using those smart coatings.
Liquid-repellency through a nanostructured textile surface
(source: ITV Denkendorf)
Research Topics
1.3.1 Development of multiple textile surface functionalities in one layer

Preventing leaching and loss of durability of functional properties
Improve formulation stability and functionality performance when combining functionalities
Use of traditional treatment methods/technologies towards new technical applications
Saving chemicals by means of local functionalisation (e.g. printing)
1.3.2 Development of multiple monofunctionalities (uniform vs pattern/design)

Improve compatibility when using multiple layered textiles
Combining selective barrier layers (~filters)
1.3.3 Development of functionalities on textiles made of/with speciality and high-performance fibres
Improvement of adhesion when functionalising high performance fibres
Improvement adhesion in hybrid structures (~composites or smart textiles)
Improvement colouration of specialty and high-performance fibres

(Multi-)functionality requires an interplay of the chemistry needed
incl. impact of one functionality on the other, processes needed
and material/design of the textile. In many cases durability stays
a problem, especially in high demanding technical applications. In
those applications the specific end market regulations need to be
followed, appropriate new standards might be needed and certifi-
cation must be reached. This is similar in smart textiles where reli-
ability and safety issues need to be looked into and standardisation
is needed.
Many prototypes are available in which new/smart functionalisa-

tions have been used. However, they often suffer from poor dura-
bility (UV, washing, abrasion), e.g. colour changing pigmented Luminous textiles by means of electroluminescence through
coating. For smart textiles processability (how to make them a multiple coating layer (source: Centexbel)
in industrial production) as well as connectivity are crucial (see

research priority 1.4). Roughness of the textile surface is an issue
for many deposition-based functionalisations.
17

All sectors using multifunctional Chemistry, (modelling) 3-8 Short-medium Small-medium

textiles: finishing, coating, printing
Other (smart and technical) textile Engineering, nanotechnology, Small-medium

application sectors: coating, printing ICT, advanced materials, end user, 2-8 Short-medium
(sometimes also finishing or dyeing) modelling
All sectors using textiles materials Chemistry, advanced material/ Small-medium

made with specialty fibres in uni or composites, end user competences 3-8 Short-medium
hybrid form
Research Priority
1.4 E-textiles for smart structures, functional
interiors or smart wearable systems
With ongoing collaboration between textile industry, materials
science, electronics, medical technology, and end users of smart
textiles in other sectors the integration possibilities of electronics
in textile applications are constantly widening. Whilst first appli-
cations were limited to electronic modules connected to a textile
substrate, important progress came with conductive textiles and
yarns. These new materials allowed the true integration of electron-
ics into textiles. Thus the textile itself took a functional role in the
microsystem. Furthermore, conductive inks and coatings enabled
the application of new functionalities at the end of manufacturing
processes. The latest textile trend is to take not only supporting
functionalities, like power supply, but to constitute the electronic
component/functionality itself. These latest developments open
up new product ranges and possibilities as well as new challenges
in market and design.
Microelectronic system integrated in a textile material
With the different stages of textile integration, it becomes possible (source: TITV Greiz)
to tackle all the different stages of textile manufacturing processes
to ensure the e-textiles functionalities. They provide the base for
innovations in a wide range of industries such as automotive, food,
chemicals, electronics, energy, pharmacy, construction, and telecom-
munication. And they can be used in emerging sectors as well as in
traditional sectors such as the fashion, sports and outdoor industry.
18
Research Topics
1.4.1 Fibre and yarn developments

Development of enhanced fibres with electrical properties and increased stress tolerance for textile manufacturing processes and
multicomponent fibres through spinning and advanced layer deposition to create electrical components out of the fibre itself.
1.4.2 Fabric developments

Achieving multi-functionality due to multilayer manufacturing and intelligent structuring.
Improving textile manufacturing to match electronics by increased precision and high homogeneity at large scale manufacturing.
1.4.3 Surface functionalisation

Development of materials (i.e. coatings, inks and functional particles) and processes (i.e. coating, printing and vapour deposition) to
functionalise the surface of textiles with the focus on durability, adhesion and better ageing.
1.4.4 Sensor, actuator, energy, communication, data processing developments

Creating the building blocks of microsystems by textile materials and processes to ensure highly integrated eTextile products.
Focus on the quality of the functionality, the level of integration, the intelligence of the system and its internal and external
communication between the components and other microsystems.
1.4.5 System integration

Development and improvement of interconnection technologies between textiles and electronics with the focus on durability, quality
and modular systems.
Development of simulation and testing methods to analyse the influences by stress and environmental sources.
1.4.6 Usability and design

Focusing on reasonable integration of electronic devices into clothing, interiors and other products to achieve a high user acceptance and
provide intelligent interfaces for controlling functions and a multi-platform compatibility.

The main target will be the sustainability of existing solutions and ideas and demands in the marketplace. The main cause of delayed
the scale up process for optimized combination of textiles and elec- industrialization is the gap between the development phase and the
tronics. These activities have already begun and will be continued in actual production for the market. Companies have to be supported
European and national frameworks. Some of the new approaches are in investing in additional prototyping and pilot production equip-
running in parallel but will take a longer time for industrialisation. ment to overcome the current lack of small to medium scale indus-
trial production of e-textiles.
One big part of work for the next years will be the materials sci-
ence to optimize existing materials or develop new approaches for
highly stretchable but reliable functional textiles. This topic will
also strongly benefit of developments within the electronics sector,
bringing these two worlds closer together.
In addition to the development of materials, structures, and function-

alities the focus has to be set on the testing of these textiles in order
to gain all the knowledge indispensable for industrialisation and com-
mercialization. A first approach will be using standardised tests from
textile and electronics and adapting them to e-textiles, but new test-
ing methods, especially for simulations of use, will be required. The
availability of suitable test methods will also enable faster progress in
development of the necessary standards and certifications.
The industrialisation of textile electronics and smart wearables in Biomonitoring shirt (source: Biodevices S.A.)
Europe needs to be sped up to match the developments of new
19

All Chemistry, electronics, material science, 5-7 Short-medium Medium

nano-technology, textile manufacturing/
-engineering, advanced materials
All Electronics, textile manufacturing/ 4-6 Medium Medium

-engineering, advanced materials
All Chemistry, electronics, material science, nano- 4-5 Medium Medium

technology, textile finishing
Protection, medical, Electronics, software engineering, confection, 3-5 Medium-long Medium-large

industrial, sport, automotive composites
Fashion, medical, Mechanical engineering, textile finishing, 4-6 Medium Medium

automotive, protection textile manufacturing, confection
Fashion, medical, interior, Design, software engineering, end-user, 3-5 Medium-long Medium-large
sport, automotive confection
Innovation Theme II
Advanced digitised manufacturing,
value chains and business models
Textile manufacturing - from revolution High-tech material manufacturing in every

to revolution dimension
It is well known that the textile industry was the linchpin of the 1st In the past manufacturing of a textile product mainly consisted of
industrial revolution which started with the invention of the flying weaving or knitting yarn into a 2-dimensional fabric, put on a roll to
shuttle weaving loom and the spinning jenny, the first multi-spin- be later spread and cut into patterns that would be sewn together
dle spinning frame, in England in the middle of the 18th century and into a final product, typically a garment. With the vast extension of
quickly swept across Europe and the world. It is generally less well the textile sector into a broad range of fibre-based materials pro-
appreciated that the textile and clothing industry was also a mas- cessed through a wide spectrum of different processing steps and
sive beneficiary of the 2nd industrial revolution during which first technologies and made into components or final products for virtu-
steam-powered and later electrified manufacturing equipment ally every industrial or consumer sector, this traditional image does
led to another massive surge of textile and clothing productivity not apply anymore to a large part of the industry.
20 giving rise in the late 19th century to the first truly industry-scale
mass-production factories. The 3rd industrial revolution in the Today the textile industry is at the forefront of high-tech mate-
1960-80s enabled by the introduction of electronic systems and rial manufacturing using complex material property and pro-
computer technologies was another game changer for the textile cess parameter simulation, advanced mechatronics and robotics,
industry. Computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools machine vision, self-adjusting or self-learning technology to enable
and computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) concepts leading to efficient one-step or integrated production of complex, multi-lay-
the next jump of textile productivity based on previously impossi- ered, 3D shaped or multi-material/hybrid textile and composite
ble automation, production speed, precision and quality. structures. Reliable, precise and fault-free processes are a must
when suppling materials and components to demanding end users
Now that digitisation and interconnection of every factory, every such as aerospace, automotive, civil engineering or the life sciences
machine, every technology component and virtually every piece and medical sector.
of material that runs through the production process promises the
next paradigm shift in industrial manufacturing, the industry again The experience gained from processing, handling and assembling
stands ready to embrace the change and reap the benefits in terms complex 3D-shaped components from flexible materials for high-
of massive gains in speed, productivity, flexibility and quality. The tech niche applications such as aerospace composites can also over
first seeds of this 4th Industrial Revolution are currently being sown time create spill-over effects into larger volume textile manufactur-
in the European textile and clothing industry, but significant investing such as furniture or automotive structural or interior parts. In
ments in research and development, industry demonstration and combination with digital printing and finishing or later 3D printing
worker education will be necessary in the coming years to make the even the so far elusive goal of automated individualised garment
vision of a truly smart textile or clothing factory a reality. making may one day become reality.
Virtual textile reality
Textile materials are among the most intrinsically complex mate- ily marked-down products quickly land in waste streams or when
rials and their realistic simulation and rendering in 3D or even in large quantities of mass-produced materials and finished goods sit
movement has occupied researchers for decades. While most pro- in stocks or transportation systems around the globe.
cesses in the industry were analogue and customers typically came
to see and touch the products in reality before making purchase Todays new consumer generation fully digitally connected, sophis-
decisions, textile virtualisation did not offer sufficient added value ticated, used to personalised goods and services or in search for
in relation to its cost and difficulty. authentic and sustainable consumption experiences will gradually
drive the emergence of a different paradigm. A paradigm in which
During the last decade however, CAD systems initially only in 2D full personalisation of products is expected, in which sellers must be
but more recently also in full 3D, have started to populate textile capable of delivering products to the consumers doorstep virtually
and clothing design studios and development departments and sig- the next day, in which regularly consumed products arrive auto- 21
nificant gains in speed and efficiency due to reduction of physical matically when needed in a subscription-like way, in which products
prototype making have been achieved. may be rented for a limited period of time or shared in a community
or in which products need to tell an authentic and transparent story
Now that manufacturing and retail goes more and more digital, the about their making.
case of virtual textile materials and products that are only manufac-
tured once a customer has expressed a clear interest or even com- Such a paradigm will turn todays textile and fashion business upside
mitment to purchase it, becomes extremely compelling. down. It will require new technologies for consumer-driven design
and product development, new production technologies for flexible
A further driver for textile virtualisation comes from the growing efficient and local on-demand production down to lot size 1, new
end markets for technical textiles such as aerospace, automotive business models facilitating deep consumer interaction, servitisa-
and medical device manufacturing or civil engineering where virtual tion, easy product return or sharing options and seamless networks
product development including simulation of material performance of designers, producers and service providers sharing resources,
characteristics during production and use has been commonplace data and common business cultures.
for a long time. Still a lot of research is required for realistic model-
ling of complex, functionalised or smart textile materials and the
integration of such models into industry-ready design and product
development systems.
Value chains at the service of the connected

smart consumer
Mass production and distribution models in which collection devel-
opers, wholesalers, sourcing agents or retailers take decisions on
what type of textile and fashion products their target consumer
segments are most likely to purchase and place production orders
many months before the consumer will ever see the product, are
still largely the norm in the textile and clothing business even
in the so-called fast fashion. They are the source of much con-
sumer frustration when products in the desired designs or sizes
are unavailable. They also result in enormous costs for businesses
when their forecasts prove wrong and their ordered product miss
the fickle fashion zeitgeist or hit an unexpected weather pattern.
They are also a burden on the environment when unsold or heav-
Research Priority
2.1 New manufacturing technologies for efficient
realisation of complex textile and composite structures
State of the art textile production technology is designed for the new ways of yarn guiding. Hybrid process can be realized by smart
efficient, fast and economical manufacturing of conventional 2D combination of existing technologies or further development of the
textile products. Production of complex, multi-layered, 3D shaped sophisticated existing textile processes.
or multi-material/hybrid textile and composite structures will need
further development of existing machines and processes as well as Overall aim is to reduce the production cost of these advanced tex-
the introduction of entirely new technology concepts. These devel- tiles structures by means of e.g. higher efficiency or reduction of
opments include ways of reconfiguration, new concepts for mod- setup times.
ularization, adjusted surfaces to handle multi-material textiles or
Overbraiding machine and Double needle bar raschel machine

22 (source: ITA)
Research Topics
2.1.1 Reconfiguration, new concepts for modularisation of existing machinery, to enable complex, multi-layered, 3D shaped or
multimaterial/hybrid textile and composite structure production
Reducing of time-to market for novel production technologies by up to 20% by retrofitting existing machinery with novel aggregates
2.1.2 Development of Hybrid-Processes for the production of application-optimized textile (reinforcement) structures
Providing novel production technology solutions to the market
Reduction of production cost for complex material combinations by at least 20%
2.1.3 Development of novel manufacturing technologies, like magnetic thread guiding systems, to allow new approaches to complex
textile production requirements
Providing novel production technology solutions for the market
Reduction of production cost for complex material structures by at least 30%
2.1.4 Rapid-Textile-Prototyping as an enabling technology to reduce test and set-up times of complex textile production processes
Reduction of experimental times for the development of novel processing parameters for unknown materials by at least 20%, reduced
sampling time for more efficient realisation of small series, individualisation, flexiblisation
2.1.5 Development of processing technologies for thermoplastic-based composites, e-textiles or sensor-integrated composites
New processing and manufacturing processes with higher efficiency, flexibility and reliability for realisation of thermoplastic-
based composites, no-crimp hybrid fabrics (high performance thermoplastics), e-textiles and smart composites (Integration and
interconnection of fibre based sensors in textiles structures for smart textile products or composite reinforcement with smart
functionalities such as structural health monitoring)

There are several post research actions needed in order to archive
reliable and efficient new manufacturing technologies for complex,
multi-layered, 3D shaped or multi-material/hybrid textile and com-
posite structures. Further development must lead to fully market-
able technologies, including services like training, remote diagnos-
tics and spare part supply.
Textile mills will have to invest in these new production technolo-

gies, either by buying new machines or using adequate retrofitting
solutions. Attracting these investments should also be addressed by
local/regional authorities in order to support the SME-dominated
textile industry in Europe. Products to be produced with these new
manufacturing technologies need the necessary certification for
the various applications like e.g. automotive or aerospace.
Also education, training and qualification of the involved experts Open reed weaving technology (source: Lindauer DORNIER)
and machine operators are necessary. New designed human-ma-
chine interfaces with assistance systems offering learning on the
job possibilities can be a way to support faster and more reliable
use of the new technologies. Occupational health and safety issues
need to be identified and clarified, e.g. impact of the fibre dust of
the multi-material/hybrid textile or aspects of ergonomics during
setup of the textile machines.
23

Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, advanced 5-7 Medium Medium
materials/composites, electronics
Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, advanced 4-6 Medium-long Medium
Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, advanced 3-5 Medium-long Medium
Sport, Protection, Medical, mechanical engineering, electronics, advanced 6-7 Medium Medium
Automotive, Industrial materials/composites, electronics
Sport, Protection, Medical, Advance materials, composites, engineering. 4-6 Medium-long Medium
Automotive, Industrial engineering, electronics, ICT/software
Research Priority
2.2 Digitisation and flexibilisation of production
processes and factories
Digitisation is one of the main drivers for technological and social Digitisation of textile production will have an impact on machines,
change. In the field of industrial production, the philosophy of smart processes, workplaces, factories, supply chains and value creation
connected factories, also often referred to as Industry 4.0 is heralds networks. Important research topics for the textile industry include
a true paradigm shift. The European textile and clothing industry is assistance systems, networking and integration, decentralization,
taking its first steps in this new manufacturing concept. First digi- service orientation, self-organization and autonomy. It effects all
tized production lines or small scale pilot factories are being set up levels and steps of the textile process from the shop floor to the
in order to produce faster and in closer proximity to customers. The business level. This includes aspects of inter-company resources or
diverse European textile market requires customized Digitisation computer-aided manufacturing technologies. The overall aim of the
solutions in order to stay competitive in global markets. Digitisation of textile production is to improve the production effi-
ciency by reducing material waste, energy consumption and pro-
duction errors, therefore reducing production cost.
24
Smart Assistance System for a weaving machine based on augmented reality (source: ITA)
Research Topics
2.2.1 Integrating industry 4.0 concepts horizontally through added value networks
Networking of production and other value-creating resources inter-company
Reducing production and material cost by at least 20% and material waste by at least 30% and significantly improving time-to-market
2.2.2 Integrating production flows by vertical linked production system integration (automation pyramid)
Reducing production and material cost by at least 20% and material waste by at least 15%
2.2.3 Systems Engineering; integration of all disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort preparation of production CAM (from
Engineering. to Production)
Increasing productivity of machine operators by at least 20% and reducing production errors by at least 30%
2.2.4 Smart Textile Factory 4.0

Interconnecting and optimizing production equipment, logistics and material flow
Upgrading existing machinery with modern components incl. integration of real time and internet compatible Sensors, support of
Industry 4.0-application by integration of IOT in industrial processes
Increasing productivity by at least 35%, reducing production errors by at least 40% and production waste by at least 20%
Increasing profit by providing a broader product portfolio by at least 10%
2.2.5 Textile Workplace 4.0

Smart and intuitive human-machine interfaces combined with assistance work organisation to enable knowledge sharing and workplace
learning, flexibilisation of work patterns, integration of workers with physical or mental challenges

There are several post research actions needed in order to archive
the fully archive the production efficiency effects from the Digitisa-
tion of textile production.
Since the design of workplaces will change also the skills and qual-
ifications of workers in textile factories need to evolve. Education
curricula and vocational training programs should be adapted by
the institutions which deliver them and the involved authorities. ICT
capabilities will be required much more in order to control, optimise,
maintain and interact with textile machines and processes. So called
learning factories can be a successful way to transfer the research
results to industry. Through the learning factories, not only knowl-
edge on technologies for the digitisation of textile production can
be provided, but also methods and procedures to implement digi-
tisation strategies in companies. These learning factories can be
operated by academia together with key technology and service
providers. While large companies have their own capabilities to start
the journey of digitisation, SMEs will need knowledge and financial
support in order to successfully explore and implement digitisation
solutions. This support will also include investments in new machines
or machine upgrades and, in general, necessary IOT Technologies.
There is also the need to develop standards in order to facilitate data
exchange and interconnecting production. Additionally, aspects of
security and safety of data exchange must be solved by authorities
through legislation and by the industry itself through development Braiding machine 4.0 and innovative Human-Machine interface
of best business practices. (source: Gemini Business Solutions GmbH) 25

Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, ICT/ 5-6 Medium Medium
software engineering
Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, ICT/ 5-6 Medium Medium
software engineering
Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, ICT/ 5-6 Medium Small-medium
Automotive, Industrial software engineering
Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, ICT/ 6-7 Short-medium Medium
Sport, Protection, Medical, software engineering, management science
Textile Production Chain mechanical engineering, electronics, ICT/ 6-7 Short-medium Small
Sport, Protection, Medical, software engineering, management science
Fashion, Interiors,
Research Priority
2.3 Virtual modelling and design of fibre, and textile,
based materials and products
Textiles and clothing are typically shape-flexible, also fibre-reinforced ible displays in glasses up to big-size touch screen, to laser-based pro-
composites rely on interaction of initially shape-flexible fibres. As a jectors for virtual reality), and also intelligent communication of virtual
general modelling and simulation framework across all different fibre textiles and clothing. This refers also to CAD-systems for non-textile
and textile-based material classes and applications is not available parts and products, Virtual Reality systems, or smart mobile devices.
and difficult to imagine, the key challenge is to develop models for Further contribution will come from scientific progress on basic knowl-
behaviour of fibre-based material systems for the main applications. edge about and modelling of physical or chemical material character-
Model types range from mathematical formulas to technical draw- istics, and the translation into applicable methods. FEM is one standard
ings to complex numerical simulation models of molecules, materials, method for working with mechanical characteristics of fibre-based
parts, products and processes. For clothing design, the development materials. Also new knowledge about behaviour of the human body, as
and presentation of the behaviour and appearance of the garment is well as about perception and cognition of characteristics and behaviour
one important aspect. For technical textiles, and for fibre-reinforced of objects (like e.g. garments) and the interaction of the human being
materials, it necessary to model (and simulate) the behaviour and the when doing or wearing things provides important input for research
interaction between the fibre (-based material) and the materials/ and development towards fully virtual textiles.
objects it will be combined with (resins, coatings, additional material
layers etc.) already during development phase. For medical textiles, i.e.
compression wear, wound dressings, implants, it is vital to model and
simulate the behaviour of the product when applied and its interac-
tion with the human body over time. For all applications it is neces-
sary to simulate the production processes and systems, with respect
to optimised resource consumption, times for processing, setting-up,
transport or general throughput. ICT is the main technology, provid-
ing high-performance and distributed computing power (even on
demand), high quality visualisation methods and tools in 3D, involving Simulation of multilayer fibre-based 3D component
26 displays in most different dimensions and techniques (from small flex- (source: ITV Denkendorf)
Research Topics
2.3.1 Multi-scale modelling, simulation and visualisation of fibre-based materials and textiles; and their interactions with other objects
in full 3D
2.3.2 Creation and modelling of virtual target application environments and human bodies, from different sources (virtual reality,
models from scans (body, environment, interior or outdoor objects),
2.3.3 Digital libraries, pattern analytics and image processing for and of fibre-based materials and designs
2.3.4 Smart transformation and communication of multi-scale models and application aspects in the value creation circle
2.3.5 Virtual Prototyping:

Methods and tools for high quality, high-speed design, engineering and configuration of multi-material textiles, clothing and other fibre-
based parts and products according mechanical, chemical or other functional as well as aesthetical requirements, including presentation
in virtual (target) environments for different application fields
2.3.6 Virtualising surfaces, touch and feel, thermal, sound and odour of textiles and clothing

A broad commercial application of virtual textiles and clothing and model accuracy is necessary. Always of importance in fashion is
requires a set of means and conditions. This includes libraries of colour, and here a clear definition and management of colour spaces
models of fibre-based materials, as well as libraries of designs, and is primarily an organisational issue.
a harmonised way of technical access and communication, as well
as rights and conditions for use, best complemented by world-wide In general, the set-up of pilot installations and demonstration labs
regulations. A wide variety of models and designs should be available accessible for designers, SMEs and end users will show the way and
with access costs corresponding to their level of quality, detail and the advantages of virtualisation, for example in as Virtual Reality,
specificity. Important is the management of IPR of the models and Augmented Reality, or as a Virtual Mirror in development centres,
designs. Also here international regulations as well as technical solu- maker spaces, in shops or at fairs and events.
tion for protection, IT security and track-and-trace are necessary.
Furthermore, the quality of the models has to be managed and

controlled. This includes inter alia methods and tools for validation
and assessment, and may also refer to (standardised) testing meth-
ods. Such models and designs may be very data-intensive. There-
fore, it is necessary that a powerful, reliable and secure communi-
cation infrastructure is available. For the use of the most complex
and challenging models, e.g. FEM model-based development of a
new fibre-reinforced composite for aeroplanes, high performance
computing power has to be available with easy access on demand.
Related services and standards may simplify this issue. For presenta-
tion of textiles and clothing at smaller resolutions some (new) com-
pression algorithms may reduce barriers for communication at dif-
ferent front-ends. A smart balancing between presentation quality Virtual simulation of clothing fit (source: Human Solutions) 27
Application Required key collaboration Time horizon to Pilot

sectors partners/ competences TRL industrial pilot readiness investment scale
All ICT, materials 4-6 Medium Small-medium
All ICT, design, materials 5-7 Medium Small-medium
All ICT, design, materials 5-7 Medium Small-medium
All ICT, management science 4-5 Medium Medium
All ICT, design, management science 4-6 Medium Medium
All ICT, materials, user competences 3-6 Medium-long Medium

Research Priority
2.4 Digitisation of the full textile-fashion value chain

Digitisation of the entire textile-fashion value chain, from raw able clothing and textiles for fashion, interior and outdoor applica-
material to final product (and back) involves all partners in the tions, as well as, for technical textiles in many non-textile sectors,
value creation circle. The keyword is Industry4.0, also called the 4th e.g. medical, construction, transport, or machinery. Also new path-
industrial revolution. This drives the transformation of the textile ways of production by niche companies in networks are emerging.
and clothing sector, their partners from machinery and chemical
industry, logistics and retail, and in particular from industrial cus- Value chain digitisation can also empower smaller economic actors
tomers and service providers. such as individual designers, SME-manufacturers or pro-sumers
who can leverage more powerful yet less expensive small-scale
Availability of digitised data and information (from materials and product development and production technology and have an eas-
products, from processes and machines and from suppliers, cus- ier direct channel to the end user.
tomers and end users) as well as computing power (cloud-based
on-demand) is increasing fast, but embedded knowledge is diffi- In this ecosystem with increasing variety of SMEs designers and
cult to harvest and efficient and intelligent methods are difficult to producers, always looking for better solutions for their customers
apply across a complex value chain involving many often geograph- and greater variety of materials, products and processes, the chal-
ically spread players. lenge is to provide structures and means for simple and seamless
communication and interaction between all partners, with ade-
The main targets are flexibilisation, faster time to market and quate collaboration and coordination capabilities.
greater efficiency through reduced production costs, for smaller
and smaller lot sizes of customised yarns, fabrics and clothing, A particular role will be played by collaborative platforms provide tools,
reduced stocks and waste in the supply chain and faster delivery connectivity and a wide range of services based on a pay-per-use or
of the customised product to the client. Customer and final users, subscription basis. It is important that such platform remain open,
in particular the private consumer - always and everywhere online accessible at fair and mutually beneficial terms and dont impede the
- are looking for individualised, functional, aesthetical and sustain- design and entrepreneurial creativity of its professional users.
28
Research Topics
2.4.1 Flexibilisation and configuration: Intelligent multi-stage/multi-sectorial, multi-objective value creation of customised small series in
the circular economy
knowledge-based design and operation of enterprises in networks (capabilities and capacities)
optimised planning and control of intra-organisational production and resources (material, machines, processes, energy, )
small series /lot-size-1 production-on-demand - structures and means
strategic and dynamic network formation and operation
requirement and specification management of textile materials and products across industry sectors
2.4.2 Smart consumer/customer interaction in real and virtual retail and user environments involving social networks, e-commerce (B2B
and B2C) and hybrid retail in the digitised world of textiles and fashion
hybrid retail concepts and architectures combined physical and virtual
mobile, context-sensitive sales, maintenance and return at EoL at point-of-use
User integration and adaptive /cognitive AI-based style advisor
2.4.3 Product, process, enterprise and SCM analytics and optimisation (data processing, analytics and algorithms involving i.a.
AI, machine learning, decision support, simulation and optimisation, big data, or cloud technologies):
business intelligence, intelligent logistics and material flow, factory intelligence
quality and efficiency management and optimisation within and across production stages using Big data and AI algorithms
2.4.4 Integration of processes with seamless and transparent flow of intra- and interorganisational information about orders, processes,
material and product (including resource usage) in the value creation circle
process data communication
material and product tracking and tracing fibres from plant/field to production to use and back
resource consumption transparency
inter-sectoral conversion and/or interfacing
2.4.5 Innovation Management

organising innovation from first idea of design and function to technical development to sample production of materials, products,
processes, involving customers, end users, designers, engineers etc.
Knowledge generation and protection
Open Innovation: Crowd sourcing of designs

For industrial uptake, pilot application and open access demon- a seamless way to design, develop and produce (individualised)
strations in different settings are a first step to show and to inform clothing and the needed printed fabrics. The concept was devel-
about the new developments. This includes inter alia fairs, training oped in an EU-funded project and later introduced to the market by
centres or schools, specific public events, demonstration labs, or several partners of the collaborative project.
test shops in real industry, retail or end use environments. A knowl-
edge platform and training resources are also important, to present
and demonstrate the way it works and to show the advantages.
Publicly available repositories and (libraries for) standards, algo-

rithms and methods, complemented by easy-to-configure and low-
cost interoperable IT tools will lower the barrier for a broad take-up.
Also legislative or consumer-driven demands for transparency
about resource and data usage may accelerate uptake.
Cooperation for value creation is not only a matter of technology

and organisation, but also of strategy and mind-set. Also here fair,
open and trustful concepts and models have to be developed and
demonstrated.
Lovcal digitised demo plants or maker labs equipped with versatile

small-scale production equipment for e.g. weaving, knitting or for Simulate, Print and Cut demo (Source: Znd Systemtechnik AG)
digital textile printing, financed with public or private support, are
also necessary. Simulate-Print-Cut is a reference example, offering
29
Application Required key collaboration partners/ Time horizon to Pilot

sectors competences TRL industrial pilot readiness investment scale
All markets for customised textile ICT engineering, management science 5-7 Medium Medium
and clothing products
All markets for customised textile ICT engineering, management science, 5-7 Medium Medium
and clothing products end user competences
All markets for customised textile ICT engineering, management science 4-5 Medium-long Small-medium
All markets for customised textile ICT engineering, management science 5-8 Short-medium Small-medium
All markets for customised textile Management science 5-8 Short-medium Small-medium
Research Priority
2.5 New digitally-enabled business models
Exploiting circular and sharing economy, service orientation, consumer interaction,
slow and cultural fashion concepts

Service orientation, the sharing economy and digital platform com- tion, virtualisation, as well as materials and machinery, responding
panies like Google, Amazon as well as Uber or AirBNB drive the rapidly to changes of market needs and conditions. The main focus
success of disruptive business models in many industries. IT-based of this organisational challenge are SME designers, developers and
virtualisation and resource sharing enables start-ups to produce, manufacturers operating in the European textile and clothing sector.
distribute and service customers without owning any tangible Also large enterprises and industrial customer sectors will apply new
assets, worldwide and at any time. Productions capacities can be ways of doing business, not only for customised products on demand
accessed anywhere, and also the end markets for textile-based in lot-size-1, but probably also for larger scale production.
products change often and quickly, and therefor require highly flex-
ible set-ups and dynamic processes.
Comprehensive data about preferences and conditions of custom-

ers are available (and are also subject of economic activities). Virtual
social networks and communities enable people to connect and to
communicate about ideas, problems, wishes and solutions, and also
to manage sharing of resources or products. Companies are operat-
ing worldwide, and citizens working, travelling and living in many
different places around the world - request individualised clothing,
sometimes short-term event driven, sometimes long-term tradi-
tional, with most different degrees of involvement from just buy
to design and make yourself, and most different value priorities
from just available from anywhere to fully made locally. This busi-
ness has to change, and appropriate dynamic and adaptive business
30 models are necessary, making use of latest development in digitisa-
Research Topics
2.5.1. Creativity, Open Innovation and Open Manufacturing in organisational value creation circles
crowd sourcing of ideas and designs
living labs, mini-factories, technology parks and do-it-yourself structures
2.5.2. Intelligent on demand customised product-services in the digitised textile world

made-to-measure textiles as-a-service
services with textiles embedded (i.e. rental clothes)
complementary services, i.e. for washing, maintenance and repair or EoL-treatment
small-scale services of textile capabilities and capacities
2.5.3. Social, hybrid and adaptive retail of functional and fashionable textiles and clothing designed, produced and maintained at local
level within flexible and sustainable small scale value creation circles
slow and cultural fashion (e.g. team wear, costumes for cultural events, folkloric/ethnic textiles and clothing)
event-driven clothing (sport, music, leisure, festival and celebrations)
adaptation, repair, re-freshing or re-making of used products
2.5.4. Second life of textiles and clothing

Local and regional digitally-enabled business models for collection and disassembly of (used) textiles and clothing
Digitally-enabled smart second-hand textile business at local/regional level
Development and implementation of new concepts for re-/down-/up-/cross-cycling of textiles and clothing
2.5.5. The future textile and clothing economy - concepts and means for sector evolution
socio-economic evolution of TCI in general by establishing fibre based materials as a new general category of materials changing the
perception from e.g. just a cloth to my second skin
Sharing ownership and application of textile resources and products
branding and marketing textile and fashion products and companies in particular
entrepreneurship and strategic planning
change management: working with new materials and fibres for new products and applications
management of textile knowledge for business, and for training and education

Most important resources for successful market take-up of new
digitally-enabled business models are capital, knowledge and entre-
preneurial drive. If conditions for entrepreneurship (e.g. regarding
market and business legislation, business infrastructure, taxes and
financing conditions) are too complex or unfavourable, a vibrant
community of start-ups and SMEs exploring new technologies and
business models will not emerge. Also cost and time consumption
for administrative tasks has to be reduced significantly. Financing
has to become more accessible and affordable for textile business
start-ups and SMEs with innovative business concepts but limited
financial capacity. This concerns both public funding, guarantee and
voucher schemes especially at local and regional level as well as a
broader range of private funding options such as seed venture capi-
tal or crowd sourcing mechanisms. Also important is the availability
of educational and training means, related to entrepreneurship and
to the textile and clothing business in general, and to digital tech-
nologies adapted to the textile and clothing sector in particular. At European level, the H2020 project Textile and Clothing Business
Labs (TCBL) aims to renew the European textile and clothing sec-
Technology (Transfer) Centres or Business Incubators are neces- tor, by exploring new ways to design, make, and work together, and
sary to provide a foundation for new business, and should be at least thus inventing new business models to open up attractive markets.
supported and communicated by innovation agencies and associ-
ations. Also regional networks and clusters can help incubating,
starting up and nourishing the early phases of new businesses. 31

All textile and clothing ICT engineering, design, management science, 5-7 Short-medium Small-medium
end markets end user competences
All textile and clothing ICT engineering, management science, end 4-7 Medium Medium
end markets user competences
Fashion, Interiors, Sport, ICT engineering, design, management science, 5-7 Short-medium Medium
Medical end user competences
All textile and clothing Chemistry, advanced materials/ composites, 4-6 Medium-long Medium-large
end markets mechanical engineering, electronics, design,
management science, end user competences
All textile and clothing Management science 3-5 Long n.a.

end markets
Learning to make more with less

The Textile and Clothing industry like any other manufacturing sec- tainties in the required investments and long-term economic viability
tor is in the business of transforming resources materials, energy, of circular business models and the absence of long term commit-
water, chemicals into value added products for professional or pri- ments with retail and waste processors. Also the European legisla-
vate end users. Several textile production processes, such as dyeing tive framework is not (yet) favourable for circular systems, although
and finishing, are indeed very resource-intensive. As the consump- the circular economy roadmap of the EU might trigger changes with
tion of these resources is not free, companies have a natural incentive respect to green procurement and legislation (product liability). The
to use them as efficiently as possible. In addition, tightening legis- use of recycled textile materials can be promoted by these changes.
lation on energy efficiency, CO2 emission, water use, waste water
quality or air pollution makes the industry seek better technology
to combine economic with ecological benefits while complying with
the law. Finally, better environmental performance in production also
starts to be more and more rewarded in the marketplace by increas-
ing consumer interest in more sustainable textile products.
32
To reach tougher resource efficiency targets, the textile industry
pursues incremental as well as radical innovation approaches. Incre-
mental approaches include regular production technology upgrade,
employment of better monitoring and control systems, use of ener-
gy-saving or energy recovery installations, water or chemical re-use
systems, better waste water treatment facilities or a generally more
resource efficiency driven production planning and worker education.
Radical technological innovation approaches involve the move

from wet to dry textile processing replacing conventional dyeing, However, there are also important barriers still to be overcome for
printing or finishing by digital printing, dyeing with supercritical an effective recycling of post-use textiles through new technolo-
CO2, plasma, laser or coating processes. Also material waste can gies for sorting and recycling of textile waste, better used textile
be radically reduced by move from cut-and-sew assembly to seam- collection systems in Europe, better consumer education and eas-
less manufacturing for instance in knitwear or direct joint-free 3D ier access for designers and product developers to high-quality,
production of technical textile or composite parts. cost-competitive recycled textile materials.
Making a chain move in circles Natural solutions to protect the environment

When discussing innovation and market potential, the Circular Approximately 70% of all textile fibres produced in the world today
Economy is rapidly becoming one of the most used terms in the as well as most textile processing chemicals are fossil-based. And
European textile and clothing industry. It provides a guideline for while the use of a barrel of oil for textile products that may be in use
the industry, when making investments in production technology for years or even decades is a much higher value use that to burn it
(cleaner and less resource-consuming), product development (more for energy or transportation, this heavy reliance of a fundamentally
sustainable products, focus on recyclability) and in respect to the non-renewable resource raises viability questions, at least in the long
selection of textile materials (more focus on the use of sustainable term. Natural fibres, while clearly renewable, are not automatically the
fibres). However, the industry still faces tough challenges in the tran- more sustainable solution as the case of conventional cotton demon-
sition from a traditional linear production and consumption model strates much of which is grown with heavy use of water and pesticides
(take make dispose) to a circular model. In a circular model it is in some of the worlds most environmentally challenged regions.
essential to cooperate with all stakeholders in production, retail and
waste processing. Due to its fragmented, SME-dominated structure, Market interest in EU-grown natural fibres such as flax, hemp as
the industry lacks the authority to enforce such a corporation with well as European wool and cotton is rising due to an appreciation
other essential stakeholders in the value chain. Therefore, essential of their favourable sustainability profiles and interesting potential
innovations are not yet implemented on a large scale, due to uncer- of their application in growing textile fibre end markets such as
composites for the construction or automotive sector, functional
clothing and interiors for allergy suffers or generally health-con-
scious consumers or naturally flame-retardant material (i.e. wool)
for protective clothing.
As agricultural products, natural fibres typically find themselves

at a production efficiency disadvantage compared to man-made
fibres which a produced in large-scale controlled industrial pro-
cesses. They also suffer from greater variability due to impact of
changing weather and other natural conditions beyond the control
of the producer.
Rapid agricultural productivity progress and new biomass pro-

cessing technologies represent a strong two-pronged approach 33
to improve the competitive position of European bio-based textile
fibres. European forest-based and agricultural waste resources are
an abundant, sustainable and economic feedstock for textile fibres
as well as bio-chemistry used in textile processing and functional-
isation. Apart from being fully renewable these bio-economy routes
to textile and clothing products also help to reduce hazardous and
toxic chemicals from the textile industry and facilitate circular
economy concepts through better recycling or biodegradation of
material waste and easier treatment of wastewaters.
Research Priority
3.1 Novel flexible process technologies to save water,
energy and chemicals
Traditional textile and garment dyeing and finishing is a heavy user Key enabling technologies for such radical textile processing inno-
of water, energy and chemicals and it is therefore of strategic impor- vations are, among others, digital inkjet printing and finishing,
tance for the EU textile and clothing industry to introduce novel flex- supercritical CO2, 3D printing/polymer deposition, hot melt/adhe-
ible more effective processes avoiding unnecessary use of processing sive technologies, UV coating, atmospheric plasma, laser technol-
resources and minimization of waste. Despite continuously on-going ogy, magnetron sputtering, spray technology, ultrasonic technol-
incremental resource-efficiency efforts the industry also needs to ogy, catalysis and bio-catalysis.
find radical solutions to achieve step-changes in its ecological pro-
duction footprint. Such flexible and more resource-efficient technol- Strategic innovation targets for such new technologies include:
ogies with dramatically reduced water and energy consumption must Dramatically reduced energy, water and chemical
at the same time enable cost-effective production of high quality consumption as well as waste water production by over 90%
products at smaller and faster changing production runs. in some cases
Easier on-demand production to reduce lead time, stock-
keeping and an overall dematerialisation and waste reduction
in the entire value chain
Possibility to realise innovative products for high added value
niche markets
Enabling of mass customisation or even personalisation of
textile and clothing products driven by the end user
Affordable capital investment and operational costs even for
SMEs operating in niche markets
Realisation of efficient, clean and digitised textile factories of
the future which attract investments, talented employees and
which are welcome in their local communities
34
Research Topics
3.1.1 Scaling up, pilot testing and demonstration of innovative technologies not (yet well) implemented in industry such as:
digital printing at higher speed and greater textile material flexibility
3D printing (or 2D polymer melt printing) on diverse textile substrates
development of roll-to-roll equipment for atmospheric plasma, Atomic Layer Deposition, ultrasound and other water-less textile
functionalisation techniques
Reduction of energy consumption and quantity/cost of processing chemicals
Right-scaling of technologies to all types of industrial users incl. small-scale low-investment solutions for SMEs
3.1.2 Development of novel technologies including the full set of new chemistry, processes and machinery adapted to the textile
materials/products to be processed
chemistry for robust functional inks in digital inkjet printing
chemistry for supercritical CO2, plasma, UV-technology
rapid energy-efficient fixation/curing techniques such as LED curing.
3.1.3 Development of add-on or retro-fit technologies to overcome constraints relating to existing technology / installed base and
related investments, such as:
compatibility of catalytic bleaching or supercritical CO2 treatments with existing processes or process conditions
3.1.4 Research to measure, monitor and evaluate the degree of improved environmental impact and regulatory compliance of the new
technologies including:
ecological footprint of processes and Life Cycle Assessment of products,
REACH-compliance of processing chemicals
health and safety aspects of resulting products
optimisation of processing conditions and worker safety aspects in the production environment

Incremental resource-efficiency improvements of existing pro- Further challenges are:
duction technologies typically have a rapid industry take-up with a Need for collaboration with technology suppliers that were
quick return on investment and little impact on the overall produc- traditionally not connected with the textile industry.
tion process, product quality or required workforce qualifications. The need to attract highly educated people with additional/other
competences than typically available in the textile industry.
Development of end user applications and business
development since these new technologies often enable new
product-market combinations which need to be established.
Pilot demonstrations and test-beds need to be available and accessi-

ble to SMEs at regional level in order to facilitate familiarisation with
new technologies, enable prototyping and test runs, strengthen
cross-sectoral collaboration and serve as hand-on education and
training facilities.
Adoption of radically new textile processing approaches however

typically come with heavy upfront investments in new machines
or even full production lines, great changes in the types of textile
materials than can be processed and the resulting product quali-
ties as well as important new qualification and training needs for
employees working with these new technologies.
35

All textile and clothing Mechanical, chemical and electrical 5-6 Short-medium Small - medium
end markets engineering
All textile and clothing Mechanical, chemical and electrical 1-6 Short-medium Small - medium
end markets engineering, material science Depending
on topic
All textile and clothing Equipment and process engineering 7 Short Small - medium
end markets industries
All textile and clothing Garment, textile, machine and chemical 7 Short n.a.
end markets industries
Research Priority
3.2 High-tech textile recycling for circular economy
concepts
The production of virgin fibers has a huge environmental impact Important progress is needed in the (automated) sorting of
and uses large amounts of non-renewable sources. Textile waste is post-consumer textile waste to create reproducible streams for
created during production (industrial waste) and after use of textile the textile recycling industry. Advanced technologies are needed
products (post-consumer waste). The materials are often of a high to remove dyes and finishes, but also to separate intimate blends of
quality and can be recycled, mechanically or chemically. The recy- fibres in fabrics (like polyester or elastane in cotton). This challenge
cling processes are in most cases far more sustainable compared to is further exacerbated by the trend of textile products becoming
the production of virgin materials. There is a pressing need to make more complex (multi-fibre, multi-structure, multi-finishes).
textile recycling more efficient and to improve the consistency and
the quality of the recycled textile materials. In the mechanical recycling, fiber damage is still a huge problem,
reducing the quality of the recycled fibres. Material composition
and structure are most important parameters from the input side.
Use of more sophisticated tearing technologies to free the fibres
from yarns and fabrics, like the use of special lubricating liquids,
ultrasound and separation of fibers from unopened fabrics during
the tearing process can improve the quality of the resulting fibers
and hence open new high added value application areas for recy-
cled fibres.
In the chemical recycling, the purification steps are most important,

as even minor impurities can have great impact on the processability.
The chemical recycling of textile waste is creating new virgin fibers
and is a real example of upcycling at reduced environmental costs.
36
Research Topics
Refining of waste streams - Reproducible quality of input material

3.2.1 automated sorting
Reproducible streams of sorted materials based on chemical composition, color, finishes and mechanical structure. Special attention for
the sorting of e-textiles
3.2.2 Purification
Development of processes for the removal of impurities from sorted waste streams, like dyes, finishes and non-targeted textile fibers
(enzymatic, cyclodextrins, SC-CO2-technology, )
3.2.3 Alternative separation technology
Development of ionic liquids, eutectic salts, catalysts, . for the purification of mixed textile waste streams in order to reach pure base
and reproducible materials for chemical recycling
Mechanical recycling - Improved processes for the production of recycled fibers and yarns with a high recycled content
3.2.4 unraveling technology
Technology for reduced fibre damage in tearing, also aimed at technical fibers like carbon, glass and aramid
3.2.5 processing of recycled fibers
Development /adaptation of pre-processes for optimal production of intermediate products like non-wovens, paper and yarns, also for
use in reinforced materials
3.2.6 Chemical recycling of polymers originating from textile waste

Development and prototyping of chemical cotton recycling (post-consumer), in order to implement technological innovations on pilot
scale, determine scale-up parameters, produce sample materials for pilot collections and validate business models.
Efficient (bio)chemical recycling technologies for major man-made fibre waste classes (both post-consumer and post-industrial waste
streams), focus on scalable and versatile processing technologies
D4R / RiD concepts

3.2.7 Rules for sustainable product design and manufacturing
Traceable sustainable textile products, including indication of environmental impact (LCA, chemicals)

High end textile recycling seems to be realistic in medium term and for recycling (D4R) concepts by designers and the industry. Educa-
will fit perfectly in circular economy concepts of European companies tion of designers in this area is of key importance. Besides it is needed
in (technical) textiles, clothing and retail. Pilot plant development of that all the designs are evaluated by a quick LCA, in order to come up
chemical recycling of post-consumer cotton is needed to study the with real sustainable designs and products. Tracking and tracing of
scale-up parameters and to make business plans for scaling-up to recycled content in products will create transparency in the circular
industrial volumes more robust. High end textile recycling would textile and clothing chain and can be used to inform end-users (B2B
greatly benefit from the use of recycling in design (RiD) and design as well as B2C on the environmental impact of the products they buy.
Reclaimed fibres from post-consumer textile waste and re-spun into new yarn (source: Texperium) 37

All chemistry, advanced materials/mechanical 5-8 Short-medium Medium

engineering ICT/sensors
5-7 Medium Medium
4-7 Medium-long Medium
Large volume textile Mechanical engineering 6-8 Short-medium High

products (clothing,
interior, automotive,
construction,) 6-8 Short-medium Medium
Large volume textile Chemical engineering 5-7 Medium-long High

products (clothing,
interior, automotive,
construction,) 5-7 Medium
All Design, Chemistry, ICT 6-8 Medium-long Low

Research Priority
3.3 Sustainable substitutes for hazardous or restricted
textile processing and chemicals and bio-chemistry
based textile processing
Despite the significant trends, especially in Europe, towards environ- The need to come up with better, safer and more sustainable solu-
mentally friendlier, safer, more resource-efficient textile processing tions will therefore be greater all over the world. Rapid develop-
and growing customer demand for greener products, textile pro- ment of industrial biotechnologies offers interesting opportunities
cessing world-wide still consumes high volumes of energy, water and to employ radically new bio-chemistry solutions and related cleaner
chemicals and take a toll on the environment by the production and processing in the textile sector. The textile sector has been among
release of pollutants. Due to strict legislation related to processing the first industry branches where technical enzymes amylases
chemicals used in manufacturing in Europe, related to protection of were implemented after the food and beverage sector. Todays much
human health, limits of pollutants in water and air released from fac- more powerful biotechnology insights have given rise to new types of
tories and related to substances in articles put on the EU single market, enzymes with much improved performance characteristics, allowing
the most polluting and hazardous textile processes have been phased a much broader spectrum of textile materials including potentially
out or relocated to regions with a less strict regulatory framework. synthetic fibres to be processed. Advanced bio-technology can also
Still several crucial processes and related chemicals prove difficult to extract from bio-mass a range of other substances such as bio-based
replace without giving up material properties such as flame retardancy, textile auxiliaries, bio-surfactants, bio-resins as well as essential plant
oil and water resistance or antimicrobial activity which are crucial for oils and other bioactive substances with potential for use in textiles
end products in markets such as personal protection, sport and out- with medical or well-being functions.
door, medical applications or interior safety. Also the backdoor of
carrying out hazardous or pollutant processes outside Europe and Technical textiles represent an important growth market for Euro-
importing final products which may well respect EU product or con- pean textile manufacturing, especially its many SMEs. Chemicals
sumer safety legislation provide a disincentive for the development are used to ensure products properties can comply with very strict
of cleaner processing options. As ever-stricter consumers, workers and complex requirements of many end products in technical end
and environmental legislation, such as REACH and the BPR in the EU, markets. However, bans by law, industry or private initiatives risk
spreads across the globe and in addition private sector or civil society to create dangerous gaps between necessary requirements and
38 driven initiatives pressure on producers wherever they may be based achievable properties, leading to regrettable substitutions.
increases.
Research Topics
3.3.1 Cleaner, safer non-toxic textile processing and functionalisation chemistry

Development of satisfactory, truly sustainable and economically viable substitutes for difficult to phase out harsh chemicals or textile
processing chemistry including but not limited to PFOA, solvents, present or future Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and
avoiding regrettable substitutions.
Surfactants on the petrochemical base, bleaching agents, hydrosulphite, lye, phosphonates, organic solvents, water-repellents,
soaping agents, formaldehyde, synthetic polymer coating substances, cationic lubricants etc. in the pre-treatment (saponification
and bleaching), elimination of waste water salinity, reduction of processing temperatures, bio-soaping of coloured/printed textiles,
formaldehyde free bio-resins/glue based reactants etc.
3.3.2 Enzymes as cleaner production alternative of textile (wet) processing and fibre modification/hybridization
replacement of the commonly used harsh textile chemistry for natural fibre textile processing through industrial exploitation of bio-
catalysis and related reduction of energy and water consumption/pollution
introduction of conjugated combi-processes for shorter processing with higher efficacy of installed capacities
further development of the potential of synthetic fibres modification/functionalization by enzymes
employment of enzymes for efficient extraction of natural fibre resources (bast fibres, forestry biomass etc.)
development of robust enzymes incl. extremozymes for combined chemical and emerging technologies processing such as plasma,
ultrasound etc.
3.3.3 Biopolymers as a new resource and other textile bio-tech opportunities

for bio-activated/ bio-functional textiles,
for bio-based textile auxiliary agents replacing conventional chemicals.
bio-surfactants, bio-resins (bio-composites), essential plant- oils for cosmeto-textiles
Textile carriers of immobilised enzymes (heterogeneous catalysts for repeated use)
For instance, currently certain high performance properties for oil- chemistry are already actively being sought, there is an urgent need
and water repellence, medical textiles, others as required by stan- to support wider industrial research to generate truly sustainable
dards for protective clothing and other technical textiles can just solutions which can be use by SMEs and larger companies to offer
be reached by using fluorinated chemistry, which are being phased correctly performing products at acceptable cost protecting peo-
out by EU legislation. While alternative solutions to fluorinated ple and the environment we live in.

Several factors will impact the industrial take-up of the research will foster adoption of biotechnology in the textile sector and
and development results positively: the favourable environmental and safety profile of the resulting
potential application of new processes/chemical on existing products will help drive consumer demand even when full cost-
processing equipment (requiring relatively minor investments) competitiveness with conventional solutions is not yet reached.
and their flexible use and parallel search for continuous
improvement such as shorter processing time, process
integration, reduction of use of processing resources as well as
the close-loop principles in production and product design
and services.
textile application as extensional use of enabling bio-based
products developed for non-textile (volume) applications
to shorten the readiness for use (TRL) and minimize the
development/purchase costs. This can be realised by
customisation of non-textile products and/or modification of
application technologies. The industrial scale demonstration
requirements are connected with development and pilot plant
investment of the bio-based industries research and post-
research actions (mainly realised under the BBI PPP). Close
interdisciplinary collaboration can accelerate multisectorial
access to their results and enable joint optimisation of new bio-
based production alternatives. Existing textile engineering skills 39
Required key collaboration partners/ Time horizon to Pilot

Application sectors competences TRL industrial pilot readiness investment scale
Virtually all volume and niche Speciality chemistry, process 5-8 Short to medium Small to medium
market applications for heavily technology developers, brands
processed/functionalised textiles and end users, regulatory and
standardisation bodies
Large markets for natural fibre- Biotech sector, especially enzyme 5-8 Short to medium small in textiles,
based textiles such as denim producers, processing technology use of enzymes
fashion, night and underwear, providers and general biochemistry produced in
medical and interior textiles expertise medium-to-large-
scale biotech pilot
plants
End-markets in which bio- Biotech sector, processing technology 6-8 Short to medium Small to medium
functionalised textile materials are providers, bio-material/bio-composite
in demand (sustainable fashion, producers and end users
eco interior products, medical and
wellness products)
Research Priority
3.4 Bio-refinery concepts utilising European
agricultural and forestry resources, waste or by-products
for textile fibres and developing their processing
and application aspects
Additional sources of bio-based textile materials are needed to face As such this will offer the basis to implement the circular economy
the challenges of increasing textile fibre demand and environmen- principles in the textile area; contributing to the development of a
tal issues in textile production. sustainable bio-based circular textile economy.
Support from the chemical-, agricultural, and forest industry is

essential in realizing the bio-economy targets for the textile sec-
tor. The industry will boost their efforts to shift over time from an
oil- to a bio-based economy and provide to a larger extent: econom-
ical drop-in biopolymers, novel biopolymers, eco-friendly chemicals
to be used as processing agents and functional additives.
Biopolymers are also a promising resource for new specialty fibres

incl. nanofibers and their customised processing in textile dyeing
and finishing or more emerging processes such as electrospinning,
or 3D printing. The unique properties of nanocellulose could possi-
bly be utilized in developing novel bio-based textiles with improved
performance. Development of novel large-scale biorefinery routes
are needed, making use of feedstocks from agriculture and forestry
sources, but avoiding competition with food and feed resources.
Also industrial and urban waste should be used to a larger extent. Lab-scale cellulose fibre production (source: Swerea IVF)
40
Research Topics
3.4.1 Biorefinery routes and the generation of optimized building blocks

Lignin for aromatic building blocks and their use in textiles.
Carbohydrates (cellulose, starch, sugar): aliphatic and aromatic building blocks, avoiding food resource competition.
Conversion of other alternative biomass and waste sources (proteins, fatty acids, rubbers)
Efficient synthesis of PET or PA monomers from biomass and generation of fibres with controlled features and end-of-life
biodegradation function
3.4.2 Processing of novel bio-based polymers

Assess processability and properties of novel biopolymers (PHA, PBS, PEF, etc) for textiles and clothing
Functionalisation possibilities, additives selection and optimization.
Assess behaviour along textile production process and durability vs end application.
3.4.3 New technologies for pulping, adaption and characterization of pulp and cellulose regeneration
Development of new and efficient cellulose solvents and formulations.
Sustainable recycling of process chemicals.
Improved properties of cellulose textile fibres from the novel routes.
3.4.4 Recycling of bio-based waste and reprocessing

Hydrolysis or dissolving routes to polymers or feedstock for chemical industry

Implementing drop-in biopolymers will require minimal efforts Market take-up will also be driven by favourable end market demand
from the textile sector, since properties and processes will hardly for more sustainable products based on recycled or renewable mate-
be affected. Nevertheless, it will be essential that large scale pro- rials, both from consumer but also professional and public buyers.
duction of these materials at competitive prices is started, to allow Biodegradable agrotextiles, from PLA for instance are gaining suc-
full scale industrial implementation. cess in French public procurement, which demands use of biodegrad-
able groundcovers for public road or railway works. Square kilome-
Some novel biopolymers are already proposed to the market and tres of commercial products are already applied in in these markets.
implemented at limited scale (e.g. PLA industrial applications), but
will require further up-scaling, diversifications of grades, adapta-
tion of downstream processing options and competences, develop-
ment of high value products and large scale end markets.
New biopolymers only available at pilot or even at lab scale will

require long term fundamental and applied research before upscal-
ing and industrial implementation can be proposed to the market.
Solution spinning of textile fibres using alternative systems for cel-

lulose dissolution and regeneration with low environmental impact
(e.g. ionic liquids, inorganic molten salt hydrates, aqueous bases,
etc.) is expected to reach industrial demonstration scale within 3-5
years, and commercial scale in 5-10 years. Early pilot- and demon-
stration scale production trials are needed to confirm financial and
environmental viability. Mechanical performance and comfort must
Biodegradable textile ground covers made of biopolymer fibres
be at par with current commercial products. (source: DS Textiles)
41

Drop-in biopolymers and/or Chemical industry (developing up-scaled 4-8 Short to long large
chemicals biorefinery routes and up-scaling (depending on chemical) (biorefinery)
small (textile
implementation)
New biopolymers - pilot volumes Chemical industries(developments 6-8 Short to medium Medium to large
in the market of grades and functional additives)/
extrusion companies/ full textile chain/
end-users
Novel biopolymers - lab scale Agriculture (biosources) / Chemical 2-5 Medium to long Large
products industries(grades and functional
additives)/ Extrusion (fibres and
filaments)s/ full textile chain/ end-users
New technologies for pulping, Forestry /Pulp industries/ Chemical 3-6 Medium to long Medium to large
adaption and characterization of industry (processing aids) /Cellulosic
pulp and cellulose regeneration fibre producers/ Textile chain (property
enhancement.
Recycling of bio-based waste Chemical industry, chemical engineering, 3-5 Medium to long Medium
and reprocessing. Hydrolysis or polymer industry, biotechnology,
dissolving routes to polymers or
feedstock for chemical industry
Research Priority
3.5 Greater use of EU-origin natural fibres and
improving their processing and application aspects
Market interest in EU-grown natural fibres such as flax, hemp as well New technologies allow for manufacturing technical products with
as European wool and cotton is growing due to appreciation of their higher quality and better mechanical properties, easy to implement
sustainability profiles and interesting potential of their application in industrial sectors like construction, automotive and others. As
in new textile fibre end markets such as composites for the con- biodegradable, renewable resources, natural fibres are used for
struction or automotive sector. To ensure wider use of EU-grown manufacturing of recyclable or biodegradable green products in
bast fibres (i.e. flax and hemp), it is necessary to overcome chal- industrial processes leading to reduction of carbon emission and
lenges related to processing and achieved properties of these fibres. minimizing waste. Flax/hemp biomass is a rich resource of natural
The main problem that should be solved is low uniformity of the substances like cellulose and lignin.
fibres and difficulties in reproducibility of fibre quality. Both param-
eters are strongly related to a method of fibre extraction includ- Use of flax fibers Use of hemp fibers
ing degumming and preliminary processes of cleaning and divid-
ing bundles into elementary fibres. Development of new weather
independent technology is necessary to improve the fibre quality
suitable for final applications. Valuable inherent properties of bast
fibres enable creation of new products with health-related effects Textile 83% Textile 3%
dedicated to customers with specific needs, also addressing issues Paper 9% Paper 73%
of Europes ageing society. There is a need for the development of a Composites 6% Composites 10%
method of functionalisation of flax/hemp fibres and ensuring high Building 1% Building 11%
durability and resistance to washing of the new properties. Other 1% Other 3%
Significant progress is needed in technologies of functionalisation

of flax/hemp to use the fibres advantages to meet requirements
of advanced technical applications, e.g. to improve fibre adhe-
42 sion to matrices to create composites for use in different sectors. Flax and hemp fibre applications (source: INFMP based CELC data)
Research Topics
3.5.1 Development of weather independent methods of fibrer degumming to improve uniformity of flax/hemp fibres extracted from
fibrous plants.
3.5.2 Functionalisation of linen/hemp fibres/textiles with use of inherent fibre properties to meet increasing customer requirements
and ensure health, well-being and safety.
3.5.3 Modification of flax/hemp fibres, especially long fibres, to improve their adhesion to resin for composite reinforcement
manufacture for different applications.
3.5.4 Development of rovings and low twisted yarns for pultrusion to manufacture high performance construction elements based on
bast-fibres or bast fibre blends
3.5.5 Development of thermal and acoustic insulating elements for building applications and composites with capacity of vibration
absorption for various other technical applications based on bast-fibres or bast fibre blends
3.5.6 Development of alternative supply options for high quality silk exploiting advanced agricultural technologies and/or new
biology/bio-engineering approaches
Europe is the recognised world leader for processing and manu- ing a big challenge for the EU silk industry. It is therefore actively
facturing the highest quality silk products in the world. However exploring solutions to better control its input quality by developing
it sources all of its raw materials from outside Europe and quality alternative sources for high quality silk.
of this imported silk has been deteriorating over the years, creat-

Organizing of education and trainings aiming at improvement of for cosmetic-textiles will be updated or created, if necessary. The
competence of all industrial partners the users of developed tech- trainings functional clothing will be dedicated to textile designers
nologies are necessary within each priority. to make the clothing attractive for seniors the end users.
Implementation of weather independent technology of fibre Architects, constructors, industrial designers and engineers from
extraction is conditioned by making available of special machinery different sectors related to composite use will be involved and edu-
to fibre producers - industry/agriculture workers. The lack of indus- cated on how to use new materials.
trial scale machines at the place of direct fibre production, e.g. in
agriculture is a bottleneck in terms of newly developed methods of The dissemination of knowledge about nanofibers from flax/hemp
fibre extraction. Demonstration of advanced technology with the biomass for industrial designers and will be conducted regarding its
use of developed machines will be conducted to encourage fibre medical use. Dissemination of research results related to flax/hemp
producers. biomass alternative renewable energy resources within whole
energy sector is crucial.
Dissemination of knowledge about advantages of pro-healthy func-
tional natural clothing among elderly people will encourage them
to buy such products. The standardisation as well as certification 43

All textile applications Mechanical engineering, Material engineering 5-8 Short-medium Medium
Fashion, interior and Material engineering, Mechanical engineering, 5-8 Short-medium Medium
medical textiles Pharmaceutical experts, Medical experts,
Cosmetic experts, Designers
Automotive, Construction Mechanical engineering, Architects, Chemical 5-8 Short-medium Medium

engineering
Automotive, Construction Mechanical engineering, Architects, Chemical 5-8 Short-medium Medium

engineering
Fashion and luxury sector Agricultural science and technology, biology, 3-6 Medium-long Medium-large
genetics and bio-engineering
Innovation Theme IV
High value added solutions for attractive
growth markets
Safe work and play, active ageing

and affordable healthcare
Humans are surrounded and touched by textiles virtually every tion. But this is about to change. Light-weight textile-reinforced
minute of their life from cradle to grave. Textiles support and pro- walls and faade elements give architects new options to more
tect us when we are active doing work, engaging in sport and play. freely design living spaces. Textile roofs and sails help to regulate
Textiles are also there to sooth and comfort us when we are tired, light and temperature. Smart textile surfaces create interiors that
sick or immobilised. are comfortable and highly functional at the same time.
Workwear and protective clothing is saving health and lives of mil-

lions of workers and professionals being exposed to hazardous sit-
uations every day in Europe. They have to strike a delicate balance
between being protective while being light and comfortable to be
worn for hours without impact on work performance. While previ-
ous generations of such products were merely passively protective
44 like a second skin, future generation will be smart and pro-active,
reacting and adapting to changing physical conditions of the wearer
as well as the surrounding environment.
Europes rapidly ageing society requires new solutions for better

and more affordable healthcare, active and independent living of
the elderly or other persons with special needs. Textiles have been
applied for centuries to treat surface wounds or sooth skin condi-
tions. Today textiles are everywhere in the medical and elderly care
environments, they are implanted into the body as sutures, artificial
tissues or medical devices, they fulfil advanced wound care func-
tions, they help keeping patients and hospital environments free Civil engineering uses a broad range of textile materials for infra-
from microbial contaminations or provide support as ortheses and structures such as tunnels (linings), pipelines (reinforcement),
bandages to treat musculoskeletal disorders. They are also indis- bridges (repair and reinforcement), roads, embankments and dikes
pensable materials for infants and womans hygiene or for disease (geotextiles), green walls and roofs.
or age-related incontinence.
Important sectors that provide vital resources such as energy, food
An ever growing part of the population, from the very young to the and water to the globally growing population discover smart textile
very old, regularly engages in sport and outdoor activities. There is based solutions. These include growth support and protection of
virtually no sport that doesnt make use of textile-based equipment plants, crops and animals in agriculture, ropes and nets for fishing
or specialised functional clothing to keep the person warm, cool or and aquaculture, fibre and textile reinforcements for turbines and
dry, to protect from environmental impact and injury, or to raise rotor blades in the energy sector, flexible solar cells, flexible tanks,
performance. Due to the ever-growing types of sport activities and nets and filters for water and beverages, foods oils, grains, fruits
the search for better equipment there is a virtually endless opportu- and vegetables in the food production and distribution sector.
nity to develop innovative smart and functional textile-based prod-
ucts for this rapidly growing global market. Textile solutions in these areas also have the great benefit of being
light-weight, flexible, foldable, inflatable and generally quickly to
deploy which is critical in situations when natural or man-made
Buildings, infrastructures and resources for the disasters such as earth-quakes, floods, storms, landslides, oil spills
world of tomorrow or large-scale industrial or transportation accidents endanger lives,
valuable goods and infrastructures.
From mega-cities to the smallest village in the country-side, people
are looking for houses and homes that are safe, comfortable, func-
tional, energy-efficient and affordable. Apart from tents, textiles
have not been a dominating material used in building and construc-
Safety, energy-efficiency and comfort
on the move
Modern industrial societies are built on the concept that people as weight and thereby energy consumption of cars, trucks, ships and
well as goods are mobile and can be transported quickly, efficiently airplanes replacing structural and functional components currently
and safely over short and long distances on land, on water, on air or made of heavier materials. For this to be implemented at large scale,
even into outer space. The safe and efficient movement of people a very close collaboration between the textile sector, the transpor-
and goods enables economic growth and raises the quality of life, tation equipment manufacturers and end user sectors such as air-
but also comes with at a high cost and generates many undesirable lines, shipping, road and rail companies is necessary.
secondary effects. These include the consumption of resources
(transportation accounts for about 50% of fossil energy consump- Textiles also play an important role in making the interiors of trans-
tion) and an important contribution to climate change, the loss of port systems safer and more comfortable for users. Functional and
life and damage of health and goods in transportation accidents, smart textile surfaces can prevent soiling and staining, provide abra-
the pollution of air, water and land, the generation of noise, the loss sion and fire resistance, can contribute to a better indoor climate or
of natural habitat to transport infrastructures etc. illumination, provide more flexibility through foldable or inflatable
equipment. Smart textiles enable integration of sensors, switches, 45
The transportation sector and the industries supplying transport heating or cooling systems or other functionalities into seats.
systems and services constantly strive to reduce the cost and neg-
ative impacts of transport and coming up with smarter, more effi- The growth markets for innovative textiles outside the conven-
cient solutions. Important large-scale initiatives in this direction tional clothing and interiors textiles are virtually endless. The
include light-weighting of transport systems to reduce energy additional value that can be created by use of textiles instead of
consumption, shift from fossil to renewable energy use (e.g. bio-fu- other materials is often large and unexpected to manufacturers
els and electromobility), reduction of emissions from combustion and end users in these sectors. They are initially unfamiliar with
engine based transport systems (e.g. filters and catalysts), addition textile materials and processes. Also the replacement of one mate-
of safety features to secure passengers and goods (e.g. safety belts rial by another in a complex system such an airplane, a car, a build-
and nets, airbags, protective packaging etc.). ing or a medical implant has often far-reaching consequences for
other materials and components used in the system, with the way
its manufactured, assembled, used, maintained and recycled. For
this reason, research, demonstration, pilot testing as well as stan-
dardisation and certification work must always be undertaken col-
laboratively between textile material and production experts and
specialists from the targeted sectors.
In most of these areas textile solutions have and will continue to

make important contributions. Research and innovation has to
focus on developing appropriate textile materials and their process-
ing and manufacturing technologies that meet the requirements of
the transport sector in terms of performance and cost. Fibre-based
technical textiles and composites can lead a dramatic reduction of
Research Priority
4.1 Textile-based functional and smart products
for Health, Sports and Personal Protection
Textile innovation can make important contributions to new solu- release for muscle care, and also proving optimized comfort, low
tions for effective and affordable health care, highly functional pill, low shrink and fast drying; (3) Integration of low power/auton-
sportswear and goods and smart personal protection. All these are omous biomonitoring and/or integrated and ICT and IoT communi-
rapidly growing markets and targeted by the EU societal challenges cation systems for training monitoring and performance assistance
of active ageing and safety and security. and integration concepts of training analytics, always connected
and data sharing for garment/textile structures peripherals; (4)
For the healthcare textile sector key technological challenges are: Development of nanostructured coatings for integrating properties
(1) development of controlled drug release fibre and textile struc- such as easy/self-cleaning and swift drying, UV and IV reflection in
tures for therapeutics of different skin conditions; (2) development low weight, designer friendly garments;
garment and home textile products with fully integrated biomon-
itoring and ICT systems enabling remote monitoring of patients For the personal protection textiles sector key technological chal-
and assisted living services for better ageing concepts; (3) devel- lenges are: (1) the integration geo tracking and personal GPS sys-
opment of new fully recyclable and fully biocompatible fibres for tems, physiological and biometric monitoring, cooling and heating
textile surgical implants with optimised support/closure and scaf- systems, embedded and integrated communications and energy
folding applications for long-term applications; (4) development harvesting, whit all data monitoring systems sharing data in real-
of fibre and textile structures with enhanced thermal/breathabil- time; (2) introduction of new low weight hollow fibres with opti-
ity properties with integration of new surface functionalities for mized mechanical performances for construction of lighter and
improving barrier (antiviral and antibacterial) properties. more comfortable PPEs; (3) Integration of new nanostructured
surface coatings for enhancing anti-scratch and abrasion resistance
For the sports textile sector key technological challenges are: (1) for textile protective garments in order to optimize comfort and
development of controlled drug release fibre and textile structures weight reduction of the garments/textile structures.
for therapeutics of different skin conditions; (2) development light-
weight performance garments having new textile surface coat-
46 ings enhancing thermal management (insulation) controlled drug
Research Topics
4.1.1. New materials, fibres spinning and yarn processing

New biodegradable and biocompatible nanocomposite, short and hollow/complex geometry structured and microstructured fibres for
tissue engineering structures and devices;
New thermoplastic matrix composites with enhanced barrier properties (anti-virus and anti-bacterial) for professional garments and
surgical wound dressings and patches;
Natural fibre materials resulting from the valorisation of recyclable materials for new textile composite yarns for protective and high
performance textile structures;
Nanocomposite fibres with increased abrasion properties for enhanced lifetime of ropes and belts
4.1.2. Textile structures

Textile structures for controlled release of drugs or active agents and textile based devices;
Improved 3D textiles or non-woven structures for filtering and active/selective membrane structures;
Novel smart textile structures for active shape memory devices and enhanced thermal management and tunable insulation;
Development of new jacquard woven and knitted fabrics and/or hybrid fabrics and/or braiding structures for the development of field
effect/capacitive actuators;
4.1.3. Surface functionalisation and coatings

New materials for innovative physical deposition and wet coating focusing on high performance surface functionalisation of textiles
structures: antimicrobial nano coatings, electrically conductive nanocoatings;
Emerging coating technologies for the application of organic and inorganic materials on textiles for smart applications /devices;
New recyclable and biodegradable coatings with enhancement thermal and mechanical properties;
Low-cost innovative surface coatings for electrostatic/electromagnetic protection during professional wear.
4.1.4. e-textiles and integration of ICT technologies

Emerging technologies for the autonomous integration of electronic components/devices at industrial level in different textiles structures;
Innovative e-textiles to enable wireless data communication/transmission of different monitored parameters directly to cloud platforms
for real time monitoring;
Innovative, autonomous sensing/actuator e-textiles for hazardous environments integrated with IoT systems;
High value added solutions for attractive growth markets

The main driver for sports textile market is the relation between
several variables: cost of the product, added functionality (with the
integration of sensing and always connected embedded and wear-
able systems), performance and comfort (thermal and mechanical
performance for high-performance garments are particularly rele-
vant) and design concepts.
For the medical sector the main driver for innovation remains the
added value in terms of better functionality and performance, but
also total cost, compared to established approaches, the contin-
uous integration of new technologies in the development of new
products while adapting to new challenges placed by the ageing
society (for integrated ICT tools that enable remote monitoring of
patients), and the enhancement of barrier and comfort properties
for professional medical garments.
Regarding the PPE sector, comfort optimisation and weight reduc-

tion while maintaining or even improving protective function remains
the main driver, with more emphasis being currently placed on design
and new methods of integration of ICT wearable /e-textile solutions
that allow for the construction of comfortable and user-friendly
wearable ICT systems. The main goal of these wearable ICT systems
is biomonitoring the user, assessing the integrity of the PPE and also
monitor hazardous conditions in which the PPE is used. 47
Smart climbing jacket (source: P&R Txteis SA)

Medical, Healthcare, Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Mechanical 4-5 Medium Medium

Sports, Protection, Engineering, Textile engineering, Nanomaterials,
Industrial Electronics, Healthcare professionals, Regulatory and
Standardization organizations, Testing and certification
bodies
Medical, Healthcare, Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Mechanical 4-5 Medium Medium

Sports, Protection Engineering, Textile engineering, Nanomaterials,
Electronics, Healthcare professionals, Regulatory and
bodies
Medical, Healthcare, Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Mechanical, 3-4 Long Medium

bodies
Medical, Healthcare, Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Mechanical, 4-5 Medium Large

bodies, Informatics Engineering, Software Developing Data
Research Priority
4.2 Textile solutions to resource
and protect a growing global population
The unprecedented changes in global population growth, longer Within each of these domains, there are some broader technologi-
life expectancy and higher living standards will make the period cal trends and developments which are also of interest from textile
1950-2050 stand out as one of the greatest transformation periods side and which could be tapped into. We highlight some examples
in human history. Consequently, the grand challenge of our time is underneath:
to provide resources (food, water, energy) and infrastructure in Agriculture and food production: Smart/precision farming
a sustainable way for the growing world population. Some data to (intensified farming, precision irrigation); vertical agriculture;
illustrate the challenges: agriculture in urban areas.
Feeding the expected 9 billion people by 2050 requires a 60% Resource recovery from water: waste water is seen as source
increase in agricultural production1. for raw materials, recuperation via advanced filtration
The energy challenge is a more efficient use, switching to technologies
renewable sources and local harvesting and storage. Renewable energy generation (eg kites, wave and tidal energy,
The world is facing a 40% shortfall between forecasted photovoltaic). Need for strong, durable composites. Textiles are
demand and available supply of water by 2030. Today, 70% a good support, eg for the integration in buildings or green-
of global water withdrawals are for agriculture1. houses of photovoltaic surfaces.
An investment need of ca. 50 trillion over the next 20 years Energy storage: need for materials which allow distributed energy
in infrastructure, i.e. in the fundamental systems that support storage, large area flexible surfaces like textiles are of interest.
our daily living like water and sewer systems, road and rail Infrastructure: flooding protection (dikes and geotextiles,
networks, electricity and natural gas grids2. inflatables for water protection, based on eco-friendly more
durable materials); smart cities (green walls, lightweight
and/or temporary and/or mobile constructions from textile
materials); offshore installations (composites, lightweight
constructions, durability improvement,).
48
1. WorldBank www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/overview 2016
2. Harvard Business Review, April 2013
Research Topics
4.2.1 Tunable biodegradability:

Textiles with on-demand biodegradability, triggered by eg temperature, humidity, light or micro-organisms. Biomimetic aspect.
Example: first show a stable use period, then degrade (on demand).
4.2.2 Controlled release properties:

Tunable release of nutrients, fertilisers, bio-based insecticides, designed following bionic/biomimetic principles. Embedding of functional
substances via microencapsulation or other carriers.
Time scale of release should be from some days, to several months. Ideally also tuning of the release rate.
4.2.3 High temperature resistant textiles based on basic (bio) polymers:

Improve current levels of temperature resistance of basic polymers (PP, PET, PLA) to a significantly higher range (20-25%).
Great benefit for applications like filtration, separators in batteries, catalytic surfaces.
Of special interest is the combination of high temperature resistance and high tensile strength (see 4.2.5).
4.2.4 Durable non-leaching, non-abrasion textiles:

Suitable for long-time offshore use for mooring ropes, nets, floating structures etc.
Durability, anti-fouling and no, or at least minimal, release of (micro) fibre material.
4.2.5 Ultra high strength/stiffness textiles with minimal elongation:

Strength level increase of 50% for polymeric fibres, e.g. via microstructure and/or additives.
Elongation level decrease for better compatibility with the application requirements, e.g. for use in composite parts.

To advance the use of textiles in the above mentioned sectors (agri- (eg for protection, for water management and thermal control, for
culture, energy generation and storage, (offshore) infrastructure, nutrient dosing, for growth support for 3D and molecular farming);
water management, food sector,) relevant actors from these sec- (ii) medium scale demonstration of textile-based green facades
tors should be actively integrated in the R&D activities and espe- and roofs involving experts from construction, biology, architec-
cially also to realise the impact and bring the innovations to the ture and city planning. Funding for such demonstration projects
market. Ideal players could be leading research institutes in these would ideally by provided via a European (Framework) Programme
areas, flagship innovative (SME) companies and relevant European and within existing programmes, eg rural renaissance or greener
Technology Platforms. Given the cross-sectorial aspects, it will be cities respectively.
crucial to establish some large scale demo/pilot projects to show
the potential to the other sector involved in the multidisciplinary Two successful demonstration examples included the large-scale
developments. Some examples of such projects could be: (i) large growth of seaweed on a textile substrate by FP7 project AT~SEA
scale demonstration pilot on textile enhanced crop growth to show and biobased insect protection nets for agriculture by FP7 project
how agricultural crop growth can be enhanced by using textiles BioAgroTex.
49
Seaweed growth on a textile substrate (source: Centexbel) Biobased insect protection nets (source: MDB Texinov)

Agriculture, packaging, Chemical industry, Nanotech (additives) 4-6 Medium Medium

geotextiles
Agriculture, Apparel, Food Bioindustries, Packaging Technology 3 Medium-long Large

packaging
Process industry, Energy Chemistry, Coating and surface treatment 4 Medium Medium
and Water, Infrastructure
Transport
(Offshore) Infrastructure Biology, Chemistry, Coating and surface 3-4 Medium-long Large
Energy treatment
Energy, Composites Composites, Materials engineering, Chemistry 4-5 Medium Medium

Research Priority
4.3 Textile solutions for safe and energy-efficient
buildings and smart interiors
The diffusion of innovative textiles into the construction market is It is foreseen that future innovative textiles will benefit from the
driven by their cost-effectiveness, sustainability, safety, high flex- current technological trends, such as:
ibility and multi-functionality. However, for a successful market The trend towards renewable and natural products as well as
uptake of textile-based products, the development and upscaling recyclable products;
of new technologies need to face the current challenges of the the advent of nanotechnology, which opened up research
construction sector, such as: the lack of flexibility of current design opportunities in the fields of textile nanofibres and nano-
methodologies; the conservativeness of the construction industry; enabled textiles as well as nanotechnology coatings.
the poor education and training of many building practitioners; the Advances in high-performance fibre production and their
need for improved quality assurance, monitoring and control of further processing into 3D technical textile structures and
construction projects. fibre-reinforced composites
Within the renovation sector, the scientific field of structural
health monitoring is growing exponentially due the availability
of real time structure specific knowledge through advances in
sensing technologies.
Attention to the quality of living, functionality and aesthetics of
interiors, for smart and connected home.
Rigi Event tent, Switzerland; temporary textile-based structure in the

50 alpine space (source: www.rigi.ch)
Research Topics
4.3.1 Fibre and textile-based reinforcement in construction:

Textiles for strengthening of walls, floors, ceilings, windows and other construction elements with the purpose of increasing durability
against aging, natural and manmade impact. Integration of multifunctional construction nanocomposites based on nanofibres/nano-
enabled textiles, not only exhibiting excellent mechanical properties, but also displaying outstanding combination of optical, electrical,
(acoustic) and other physic-chemical properties.
Development of new textile solutions and products based on recycled waste and/or residues with sustainable materials, higher waste
recycling, and improved design.
4.3.2 Freeform permanent and temporary textile-based structures:

Textiles for flexible, aesthetic and easy to install applications providing novel architectural forms and additional outdoor and indoor
functionalities. Integration of monitoring functions in the membranes, especially for inflatable solutions. Need for heat-ability/thermal
regulation, easier or self-deployability, increased durability and potential for integration of additional functions such as photovoltaic or
photochromic capacities.
4.3.3 Building restoration and renovation:

Innovative textile-based solutions for conservation of historical buildings, repair of existing buildings and infrastructures, adding value
through multifunctional textile surfaces for improved energy-efficiency, safety and room climate.
Textiles embedding sensors and standardised functionalities for sensors and actuators for self-reconfiguration of sensor and actuator
networks improving energy efficiency and quality of life of occupants while integrating safety and security functionalities to increase
affordability; high industrial potential exist in combination with adaptable and multifunctional envelopes.
4.3.4 Innovative textiles for smart and aesthetic interiors

Application of smart textile for improved interiors of buildings (private and public buildings, shops, offices etc.). Development of smart
textiles with high value added yet cost-effective features for smart and connected home/interiors. Usability and design of smart and
multifunctional textiles with high aesthetic properties combined with functionalities for greater interior comfort and wellbeing such as
temperature, noise or indoor air quality management. Smart textile solutions for energy efficiency, communication, assisted living, safety
issues, space management etc.

For a successful construction and textile industry we need to do and investors. In construction and buildings public awareness and
much better at turning our research into new and better services engagement of end-users and citizens in the demonstration meth-
and marketable products. For this to be realized it is important to odologies, by using co-creative approaches, is key. Special attention
build large demonstration actions involving all stakeholders of the should be paid to IPR management and business modelling and plan-
value chain, and to ensure strong industrial interest and leader- ning, standardization and regulation aspects, public procurement
ship, with large companies, SMEs, architects, building contractors and safety, environmental and sustainability aspects.
Prototype Texlining Textile Insulation (source: HSLU)
51

Construction Nanotechnology, Mech. engineering, 4-5 Medium Medium

Materials; Surface treatments (for resistance,
load sharing/distribution, shear stress)
Construction Architects, Designers and specific end users 5-6 Short Medium
Historical buildings Architects, designers, advanced materials 5-6 Short Medium

Construction and buildings
Construction and Buildings Architects, designers, advanced materials 5-6 Short Medium
Research Priority
4.4 Textile solutions for light-weight, clean
and safe transport systems
In order to tackle the smart, green and integrated transport societal
challenge, the European Commission has set various transport-re-
lated strategies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions of
transport while improving mobility and the infrastructure system
and promoting an efficient use of resources (energy and raw materi-
als). Within this framework, take into account that technical textiles
have become an increasingly vital part to achieve functional solu-
tions (insulation, safety, cleaning, comfort and aesthetical proper-
ties) for transport systems (visible and concealed components), its
integration with Key Enabling Technologies is deemed to be of high-
est benefit in these innovation fields. Study all of the different neces-
sary steps to achieve the final product (raw materials, manufacturing
processes and surface treatments) is crucial to achieve ecological
and functional properties and these are the key topics that should
be considered: Ecological and environmental friendly approaches
(bio based, biodegradable and/or recycled raw-materials, indus-
trial waste exploitation, low energy and waste technologies) and
new nano-based additives and complex structures (e.g. 3D, hollow
structures) in order to achieve functionality and light-weight, prefer-
ably using a monomaterial approach for improving recyclability. The
products to be developed for the transport industry (fibers, textile
based-products, composites and innovative surface treatments) can
give response also to several challenges from other key players and Cross-sections of high-performance multi-component
52 industries, such as the construction industry, safety and well-being, fibres (side-by-side, hollow and trilobal) (source: CeNTI)
and therefore the market potential is very high.
Research Topics
4.4.1. Novel functional and high performance fibres, filaments and yarns for vehicles components (interior and structural parts)
New fibres resulting from the valorisation of recycled materials and/or industrial waste (e.g. tyres from automotive industry or lignin from
paper industry), contributing to the renewable circular economy;
New fibres made of engineered, high-performance and/or bio based polymers with nano-based additives for increased functional properties (e.g.
strength, thermal degradation, thermal comfort, and resistance to external agents UV, IR, bacteria, fungi) as well as environmental sustainability;
Using of complex geometries (bi/tri-component fibres) in order to achieve cost-effective functional fibres.
Novel Carbon fibres based on different materials precursors.
4.4.2. Improved functional textile-based products for vehicles interior

Novel structures by using special fibres (high performance fibres and/or suitable combination of natural and man-made fibres) and new
weaving and knitting technologies for enhancing structural (e.g. handle properties) and functional properties;
Developing novel structures by using innovative spacers and membranes (for improving mechanical and functional performance), and 3D textiles
structures to replace foams (improving breathability and thermal comfort). Focus on mono-material structures in order to allow recyclability.
4.4.3. Novel composites for air, land and water transportation

Increasing the use of natural fibres, incorporating industrial waste/residues and using a mono-material approach for the development of new
eco-friendly composite materials;
Developing novel composite materials using complex 3D structures for composites reinforcement;
Developing advanced composites using advanced materials (e.g. conductive/ magnetic fibres, low wear/ fatigue materials) and advanced
manufacturing processes.
Composites based on carbon fibres from new sources.
4.4.4. Novel functional surfaces for vehicles interior

Developing surface treatments, carried out by ecological industrial processes (ultrasonic spray, extrusion coating, plasma, ozone, lamination),
that responds to the demands of the priorities for the vehicles interior: comfort, security, cleanliness and hygiene as well as the materials
resistance and durability.
Develop specific coatings using new nano-based additives that enable: 1) thermal comfort and moisture management; 2) resistance to external
agents (UV, high temperatures, abrasion, microbial grow/attack); 3) cleanliness and hygiene (repellence, self-cleaning, odour absorption). Focus
on low weight and recyclability approaches respecting traditional specifications (e.g. flame and chemical resistance).

Adoption of innovative fibre based materials in the transport sector Functionalised and smart textile surfaces for transport interiors like
is typically a complex and lengthy process. Applications in small-scale cars, trains, cruise ships or aircraft, especially for parts which are
niche models and for essentially interior and aesthetic purposes can visible and/or in contact with the human body, added value can be
be realised more quickly than materials destined for mass volume more readily demonstrated and the industry is in constant search
models and for structural or safety related purposes. In the latter for innovative and surprising new design features which appeal
case extensive testing and certification procedures need to be com- to customers. In an effort to facilitate recycling or composting of
pleted and large volume cost-efficient production capacities for such material waste from end-of-life vehicles, the automotive industry
materials must be developed. Another determinant of the time to is also expected to be more receptive to textile material solutions
market are the typical length of product development and product based on natural or bio-based fibres.
life cycles in the different transport sectors, ranging from a few years
in the automotive to up to several decades in the aerospace sector.
For many of the described innovative fibre materials (e.g new nano-
based additives or multi-component fibres) cost-efficient large-
scale production is still some time away, although industrial scale
bi-/tri-component fibres extrusion technology in principle exists
today. Favourable cost-performance ratios must be demonstrated
by an end-user or OEM. Carbon fibres on the other hand have
started to conquer larger scale structural application markets such
as aerospace and increasingly the automotive sector. Still the fibre
costs as well as the cost, efficiency and reliability of further process-
ing into textile and composite structures need further significant
improvement before large scale application in the automotive mass The new BMW i3 and i8 models use composites combining
market can be considered. thermoplastics and natural fibers (source: BMW AG) 53

Automotive and Aeronautic Industry, Chemistry/Polymers; Nanomaterials; 3-5 Medium Medium-large

Railway Industry, Trucks, Ships and Compounders; Fiber industrial producers with
other transport vehicles, Interiors, bi-tri-component extruder; Environmental
Sport, Protection, Construction, Engineering; Service providers (product
Other Industrial applications (e.g. evaluation and certification); End users for
filtration) demonstration and market study
Automotive and Aeronautic Industry, Chemistry/Polymers; Nanomaterials; Materials 3-5 Medium Medium
Railway Industry, Trucks, Ships and Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Textile
other transport vehicles, Interior, Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Service
Protection, Construction, Other providers (product evaluation and certification);
Industrial applications (e.g. filtration) End users for demonstration and market study
Automotive and Aeronautic Industry, Chemistry/Polymers; Materials Engineering; 4-5 Medium Medium
Railway Industry, Trucks, Ships and Mechanical Engineering; Textile Engineering;
other transport vehicles, Furniture Nanomaterials; Environmental Engineering;
Industry Physics; Electronic Engineering; Software
Engineering; Service providers (product
evaluation and certification); End users for
demonstration and market study
Automotive and Aeronautic Chemistry/Polymers; Materials Engineering; 4-5 Medium Medium

Industry, Railway Industry, Trucks, Mechanical Engineering; Nanomaterials;
Ships and other transport vehicles Industrial lines with environmental friendly
technologies (e.g. ultrasonic deposition,
extrusion coating, lamination); Environmental
Engineering; Service providers (product
evaluation and certification); End users for
demonstration and market study
Research Priority
4.5 Personalised Fashion
and Functional wear products
Individualisation of materials and products, and in particular person-
alisation according to the needs and preferences of the final user for
divers application conditions in daily life (at home, at work, during
travel, for events) providing fashion and function for health, wellness,
sport, work, or leisure for most different citizens all over the world is
the key aspect for wearable body-near objects. Some details:
Different body shapes require individualised, often made-to-
measure clothing, footwear, accessories, furniture (a.o. for
sleeping or for seating) and other objects of daily life.
This is even more critical for highly functional wearable
products such medical compression wear, certain personal
protective equipment or orthotics and prosthetics.
The diversity of people or specific consumer groups such
children, young adults, elderly people, people with handicaps Customised and personalised fashion and other textile-based
or those in need of support for health recovery, goes far wearable products still represent a small single digit percentage of
beyond body shapes or dimensions and provide a broad field of the market, but have a huge potential for value creation and mass
personalisation potential. market adoption if new technologies are combined with approri-
For health, sports and well-being individualised clothing and ate business models. The main challenges are effective capture of
other wearable objects combined with electronic/digital consumer /user needs and preferences ideally through direct, but
systems and functions are an important innovation field. Such non-intrusive consumer interaction and their translation into mate-
smart wearables typically require individual configuration, for rial, product and service specifications. In particular for made-to-
e.g. personalised recovery or for fitness training. measure clothing the process from (dynamic) body dimensions to
Also professional image wear or workwear is growing, with a targeted clothing shapes and dimensions is still complex. Also the
54 clear trend towards customisation in the products and/or the way how to guide the consumer during the configuration process
services connected with them. has to become much more simple, intuitive, engaging and reliable.
Research Topics
4.5.1 Concepts and means for design and development of individualised wear and body-near products (function and aesthetics) for
most different purposes (health, wellness, sport, creativity, profession), also relating to personalised health care and safety, body
support and protection
design and development of modular products in dynamic collections with adjustable configuration spaces
integration with non-textile parts and components
4.5.2 Product requirements and configuration processing, systems and environments with respect to customer/consumer diversity,
including virtual fit on virtual bodies in virtual environments
product configurators including processing of data for production
made-to-measure methods and data processing
colour management
4.5.3 Intelligent and easy-to-use visualisation, representation, simulation and user interfaces (VR, AR, Virtual Mirror,), in divers
situations (point-of-sale, point-of-use, point-of-production, )
technologies for visualisation
intuitive and adaptive user interfaces
4.5.4 Concepts, methods and technologies for capturing individual needs parameters
body and environment scanning, movement, behaviour and product use tracking or recording
information processing and data analytics, modelling, customisation and processing for different target applications
4.5.5 Biomechanics, body morphology and ergonomic research

including (global) demographic implications for body-near materials and products (clothing, orthotics and prosthetics, accessories,
textiles for seating and resting, )
static modelling and simulation of the (human) body (avatars, morphotypes, )
dynamic behaviour of (human) body in interaction with body-near shape-flexible objects
4.5.6 Design, fashion and function trend extraction and data analytics
Access and combination of different sources (social networks, collaboration and sharing platform) about consumer behaviour, needs
and preferences, related to fashion, sport, leisure, wellness, or health in professional and private applications of textiles and clothing

For a broad industrial uptake it is necessary that the production
technologies and processes in the supply chain for individualised
clothing are enabled and optimised for lot-size-1, and can be per-
formed with a seamless and fully digitised and automated process
of information flow from the consumer to production and logistics.
Thus not only the process will become stable and quick, also the costs
of production, and respectively the price for the consumer will be
reduced. A second requirement for successful application is awareness
of the customer about the availability and added value of personalised
clothing. An important requirement for this to happen is the integra-
tion of personalisation and customisation tools into popular consum-
er-product interfaces such as high-street shops, shopping centres or
e-commerce platforms. This is still often inhibited by the unfamiliarity
of traditional mass production and distribution operators with the
customisation business model, the incompatibility of their processes Web-based clothing configuration tool (source: Bivolino.com)
with a reverse supply chain control (from the end customer to produc-
tion), but also by a lack of technologies and standards.
Many start-up companies both in the on-line or the combined off-

line/on-line world have been targeting the market for personalised
or customised fashion and other textile products in recent years. As
the knowledge, tools and processes available to them become more
powerful, the market penetration of individualised wearables will 55
strongly increase.

Fashion, Interiors, Sport, advanced materials/ composites, electronics, 4-6 Medium Small-medium
Protection, Medical, ICT/software engineering, design,
Automotive management science, end user competences
Fashion, Interiors, Sport, ICT/software engineering, design, 5-8 Short-medium Small-medium

Protection, Medical, management science, end user competences
Automotive
All ICT/software engineering, management 5-8 Short-medium Small-medium

science, end user competences
Fashion, Interiors, Sport, scanning technologies, ICT/software 5-8 Short-medium Medium

Protection, Medical, engineering, management science
Automotive
Fashion, Interiors, Sport, human biology, medicine, ICT/software 3-5 Medium-long Small-medium
Protection, Medical, engineering, management science, end user
Automotive competences
Fashion, Interiors, Sport, ICT/software engineering, design, 4-6 Medium Small

Medical, Automotive, management science, end user competences
Construction
3. Cross-cutting Innovation Drivers
3.1 Skills and education

The European textile and clothing industry currently employs some The European Skills Council for the Textile, Clothing and Leather
1.7 million people. This large human resource pool is in need of con- sectors has done extensive work over recent years to assess the
stant development and renewal. Until 2025, an estimated 600,000 job skills and qualification situation and future needs in the industry. It
openings will need to be filled with appropriately qualified young tal- concludes that apart from professionals with higher education lev-
ent across the entire range of occupations, from operational to tech- els in technology, management and creativity disciplines, there is
nical, managerial, creative and scientific. In addition to the industrys also acute need for correctly qualified personnel at operation and
own needs, employees with textile-related skills and qualifications technical levels covering all functions of processing and assembly,
will also be in demand in related industries such as textile machinery, packaging and logistics, quality assurance and maintenance as well
chemistry and services, in customer sectors of technical textiles and in as marketing and administrative tasks. As 93% of all textile and
textile research, testing, education and training institutions. clothing companies in Europe employ not more than 20 people,
flexibility and multiple skills are in high demand.
The restructuring of the industry and accompanying reduction of
employment over the last decades had a negative impact on the Apart from traditional textile-related competences, new and trans-
general image of this sector as an attractive employer leading to a versal skills and qualifications will need to be acquired by employ-
decreasing interest of young people to seek career opportunities ees. These relate to domains such as the digitisation of factories,
in textiles with the exception of design and distribution related workplaces and supply chains, the need to implement sustainabil-
job profiles. This decreasing demand, in quantitative and qualitative ity, circularity and resource-efficiency strategies in production
terms, for textile education also negatively impacted the sectoral and value chain management, international business competences
education and training infrastructure, across all levels. Vocational due to the growing importance of export markets, cross-sectoral
56 schools were closed or downsized, textile and clothing departments knowledge to serve customers in technical textile end markets.
at colleges and universities were often combined with other depart- Special attention must be given to preservation and generational
ments or faculties and lost their focussed identity and significant transfer of highly specialised competences and rare skills related to
resources in terms of teaching and research staff and budgets. traditional material and manufacturing techniques, to niche appli-
cations of textiles or unique design skills.
Still Europe hosts the most diversified and world-leading textile
higher education infrastructure and attracts top students and All such skills and qualifications must become part of initial educa-
researchers from around the globe. And with the stabilisation of the tion curricula, but must also be provided in continuous vocational
industrial base and the much stronger focus on knowledge-inten- training programmes. The delivery of these VET programmes must
sive products, processes and services for niche end markets in the be flexibly adapted to the realities of the SME-based industry. They
sector, the tide has started to turn in a very powerful way. In North- must be available in proximity of the companies, ideally include
ern and Western European countries in which the higher added practical hands-on sessions at technology-equipped training facil-
value transformation of the industry has advanced the most, stu- ities, at digital learning labs or directly at the workplace. They must
dent numbers have started to increase again, recreating a virtuous also make use of on-line and virtual learning concepts and technol-
circle of higher education and training demand leading to strength- ogies such as massive open online curses (MOOC) or the gamifica-
ening of the institutions providing it. This trend is further fuelled by tion of learning.
industry-supported initiatives to attract high potential young talent
to the sector, such as the Go Textile campaign in Germany.
With the increasing need of industry to access scientific and

advanced technological knowledge, the collaboration with research
and higher education institutions is generally strengthening. The
strong participation or even leadership of specialised education
and training establishments in regional innovation clusters such
as Smart Textiles in Sweden or UP-Tex and Techtera in France are
good examples of truly strategic partnerships with strong mutual
benefits. The Textile Research Council FKT in Germany has been
building a collaborative system of textile research strategy develop-
ment and implementation at national level for more than 50 years,
resulting in a particularly strong, diversified and well-funded textile
research and higher education infrastructure. In Italy, the launch of
the National Technology Platform for Textiles and Clothing has set
out to catalyse a similar process. In some other countries, especially
the EU member states in Eastern Europe, such research-educa-
tion-industry collaborations must be set up or further reinforced.
3.2 Regional Excellence
The European textile and clothing industry has traditionally been Specialisation has also been adopted by EU Regional Policy with the
regionally clustered typically influenced by nearby availability of raw objective of propagating it across Europe and facilitating it by allo-
materials (e.g. natural fibres), processing resources (mainly water) as cating a significant share of the EU regional and structural funds
well as human resources or relevant end markets. Over time, also sec- towards this objective.
toral technology and service providers as well as research, education
and training facilities congregated around these production clusters. The results of some of the longer established textile innovation
Typically, these traditional production clusters were either special- clusters in terms of competence and technological capacity devel-
ised in a particular material along its entire value chain (e.g. cotton, opment as well as industry innovation and market success, also mea-
wool, linen, silk) or in a specific manufacturing process (e.g. knitting, sured in the number of textile start-ups created, is truly impressive.
garment making) or end product. Often several tens or sometimes However, the idea of smart textile specialisation has not yet firmly
hundreds of small companies in close proximity were producing taken root in all European textile regions, with particular untapped
essentially the same products and fiercely competed with each other. potential remaining in parts of Southern and Eastern Europe.
This situation was not conducive to collaboration or open innovation.
To change this situation, the RegioTex initiative has been launched
in 2016 by Euratex and the European Technology Platform. It has
been joined by many leading textile regions in Europe and remains
open to welcome additional regions. Its objectives are to:
Support regional authorities to better identify the challenges
and harness the potential of textile innovation for industrial
renewal, new competitive manufacturing value chains and 57
sustainable high-quality manufacturing jobs;
Encourage and enable textile regions to invest part of their EU
structural funds into effective textile-related innovation support;
Develop and strengthen regional industry innovation support
structures (clusters, association, technology, education and
training centres etc.);
Build an active EU network of textile regions for peer-to-peer
learning and to facilitate bilateral and multilateral business and
innovation collaboration;
Develop effective cross-regional funding instruments to support
In successive waves of internationalisation and market liberalisa- EU collaborative research, innovation or training projects by
tion many European textile and clothing production clusters were regional or national funds where EU funds are inappropriate or
heavily impacted leading to industry closures, to mergers of local lacking (e.g. cross-regional SME innovation projects).
companies to form larger, more competitive entities or a speciali-
sation in well-defined niches. In the process, production volumes, There is currently a wide gap between regions that smartly sup-
employment and company numbers declined, but competences port the their local or regional textile innovation communities and
and technological capacities including research, education and those who hardly recognise their existence. Consequently, there is
training facilities were often preserved. This new configuration a huge potential to be unlocked. The inhibitors for a better regional
then enabled the emergence of textile innovation clusters all across textile innovation valorisation are manifold. In some cases, the
Europe, a process that was often actively supported and facilitated sectoral innovation community is disconnected and disorganised,
by regional and national policies, for instance the ples de compti- research-education institutions and industry dont engage with
tivit in France or the VINNVXT programme in Sweden. each other, companies are unable to organise and support an asso-
ciation which can effectively represent their collective interests,
The need to engage more intensively in innovation to succeed in small local clusters in a region choose to compete rather than col-
the global market and the absence of direct competition between laborate to increase their clout with regional policy makers. On the
local companies drove a much more open and collaborative innova- policy side, regional authorities sometimes prefer to copy fashion-
tion environment. Strategy development, implementation, gover- able policy approaches from elsewhere in total disregard for their
nance and monitoring of such open innovation clusters are jointly regional economic reality and needs.
carried out by the Triple Helix actors the industry, the research
and education community and the public authorities. The objective RegioTex will work towards triggering change among all regional
is to concentrate innovation efforts and resources into knowledge, textile innovation actors to ensure that the transmission mecha-
technology or market domains in which the regional cluster has a nisms from leading edge research and technology development at
particularly strong position compared to competitors elsewhere European level to effective industrial take-up by SMEs at regional
and where attractive growth opportunities exist. This idea of Smart and local will be set into motion all across Europe.
3.3 The European
Dimension
The EU internal market is the worlds largest single market for tex- since their inception. Since its establishment in 2014, the European
tile and clothing products worth some 500 billion per year. It is Technology Platform has played an instrumental role in organising
a highly sophisticated and diversified market with consumers who the European textile research and innovation community and effec-
highly value creativity, quality and sustainability and industrial cus- tively connecting it with European funding opportunities. Results of
tomers who demand the highest levels of innovation, reliability, this work during the 6th and 7th EU Framework Programmes, which
product and service level. provided a total EU funding of around 250 million to textile-re-
lated research, have found their way into the market through new
The EU single market is also highly regulated with an extensive materials, processes, technologies and business models adopted by
legal framework to guarantee free and fair competition, health the European industry and innovative products and services offered
and safety of consumers and workers and protection of the envi- to consumers or industrial customers around the globe.
ronment. These rules, regulations and standards and the cost and
administrative burden of complying with them represent a verita- The current HORIZON 2020 Programme with its focus on a num-
ble hurdle for European textile and clothing companies, especially ber of key societal challenges and enabling industrial technologies
SMEs, which want to innovate, produce and trade across Europe. covers all relevant research and innovation domains for Europes
On the other hand, the also serve as a barrier to potential outside textile and clothing sector. The experience of the sectoral research
competitors who are unfamiliar with them or whose products and community from participation in HORIZON 2020 however, has
processes fail to reach the strict standards for environmental pro- been mixed so far. On the positive side, the focus on multidiscipli-
tection and consumer safety applicable in the EU. narity and cross-sectoral collaboration to address concrete societal
challenges suits a sector that offers a very broad range of material,
process and product solutions for many end markets. Allocation of
significant resources to key innovation themes such as sustainabil-
ity and circular economy or digitisation and new business models
that are also squarely in the sectors innovation focus, have already
led to the funding of a number of flagship projects. On the negative
side, the size and complexity of most funding instruments is often
beyond the reach of this SME-driven industry. The efforts required
for proposal preparation linked with the average low funding rates,
have discouraged many sectoral key research and industry players
58 who have eagerly and successfully participated in previous frame-
work programmes. Significant pre-defined budget allocations to a
growing list of Public-Private Partnerships limits the programmes
flexibility and reduces the scope of high potential research topics
that fall outside the scope of these PPPs. The SME instruments with
their particularly low success rates and too high average project
allocations, limit their use too much to the most research-intensive
The European textile and clothing industry supports policies aimed and public funding driven part of Europes SME community, which
at a high level of environmental, worker and consumer protection may not be the most impactful in terms of industrial investment and
guaranteeing a good quality of life and social integrity in Europe. job creation.
These policies must be based on sound scientific evidence, attain-
able targets, a reasonable balance of the environmental, social and The European textile research community therefore calls for the
economic dimensions of sustainability and implemented reliably, following changes in HORIZON 2020:
with the least possible red tape and evenly across the EU. There A reduction of average project sizes and funding levels with
must be a strict level playing field for producers and importers and more funding allocated to smaller, shorter term projects.
sufficient control and enforcement to ensure compliance by all mar- A re-evaluation of the scope and funding allocation to PPPs
ket actors. with assurance of ample funding opportunities for research
priorities outside the PPP scopes.
Many new legislations and standards in the environment, health and A strengthening of the weighting of economic impact criteria
safety domain can only be met by the generation of new knowledge such as realistic industrial investment and job creation targets
and development of new processes and technologies, such as the when evaluating project proposals and a stronger involvement
substitution of hazardous substances in chemical textile processing, of business experts in evaluation processes who have the
the treatment of waste and effluents, the optimisation of ecological appropriate competences to judge such criteria.
footprints of products or the protection of workers and consumers The introduction of an SME-dedicated funding instrument
exposed to new materials and technologies. In these domains, pub- based on cascading funding, enabling representative
lic support for the generation of sound scientific knowledge, devel- organisations of thematic or sectoral SME research and
opment of appropriate models and test methods or piloting of new innovation communities to allocate very small-scale grants
processes and technologies should always be considered. to SME-led small consortia based on a simplified application,
evaluation and reporting system. Inspiration can be drawn from
The funding of collaborative research between industry, science the WORTH concept for design-based innovation piloted under
and research at European level mainly implemented through the the COSME Programme.
European Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation is
a crucial driver for the global competitiveness of the European tex-
tile and clothing industry. The European textile research commu-
nity has been making extensive use of these funding opportunities
4. Game changers and long shots
for 2025 and beyond
The textiles and clothing sector is among the largest industries in the Below are just a few examples of what may be possible within a time
world with a total end market worth over 2 trillion on a global level. frame of perhaps not much beyond the next 10 years. Still the tech-
It thereby also represents an enormous field of opportunity for dis- nologies enabling such disruptions are far from industrial readiness
ruptive innovators which can bring to market radically new material today and in some cases require fundamental research. It is import-
and production approaches or game-changing business models. ant that also such radically new approaches and long shots are sup-
ported by public research funding.
These disruptions can potentially come from any of the following
science or technology domains which are expected to make mas- Europes textile and clothing industry is a world innovation leader,
sive progress in the coming years and decades: nanotechnology, but due to its small-to-medium-sized company structure it gen-
synthetic biology and bio-engineering, robotics and additive man- erally lacks the capacity to engage in very long term transforma-
ufacturing, high performance computing and big data processing, tive research using exclusively internal resources. To stay a global
virtual reality and artificial intelligence or combinations of those. leader, it cannot afford to lose its thought leadership and the tech-
They are already in the process of creating paradigm shifts in sec- nological edge.
tors such as media and publishing, fossil fuel based transport and
energy or the chemical industry. Digitisation is about to disrupt
decades-old retail systems for consumer goods and increasingly
also distribution of industrial supplies.
Truly game-changing innovations in the textile and clothing sector could include:
59
1. Synthetic generation or regeneration equivalents of natural fibres such as cotton, wool or silk in efficient
large-scale industrial processes and with material properties that match or even exceed the finest varieties
of todays naturally grown counterparts. Europe would be the greatest beneficiary as it is currently almost
entirely dependent on sourcing of these fibres from other parts of the world.
2. Development of the next generation of high performance fibres with higher production efficiency, better
sustainability profile and based on renewable feedstock but at comparable or better functional properties
and easier processability than carbon fibres
3. Development of efficient small-scale on-demand production units for yarns or fabrics (spinning, twisting,
weaving, knitting, non-wovens etc.), fully digitised and equipped with a highly versatile modular material
feeding system, similar to cartridges of a digital printer or capsules of a coffee machine. This would enable
on-demand lot size 1 production of personalised fashion products or textile-based consumables in the
industrial or medical sector (e.g. filters, labels, bandages) starting from basic material building blocks. It
would massively eliminate stock-keeping, logistics and waste of semi-finished products.
4. Fully integrated, automated and digitised small-scale production units for clothing, footwear, bags, acces-
sories and other assembled textile based consumer products at the point of sale or use. They will allow
rapid design, textile production or at least colouration and finishing, product assembly, packaging and
delivery of single piece personalised fashion products very near to where the end consumer lives, works,
shops or travels. They would replace slow, complex and wasteful global supply chains for such products
today.
5. Distributed small-scale textile recycling systems for rapid and cost-effective separation, disassembly, dis-
solution, biodegradation or other transformation processes of end-of-life textile products into valuable
inputs for a next productive lifecycle, enabling a truly circular economy at local scale.
6. Complete virtualisation of the human-textile interaction allowing realistic digital communication of all
aspects of a textile or clothing product including visualisation, fabric behaviour, fit and haptic sensation.
This would remove the need for any physical interaction with a product before a purchase/use decision is
made, both in B2B transactions within the supply as well as when dealing with the final consumer.
Glossary of abbreviations and terms
AI Artificial Intelligence PLA Polylactic Acid

AR Augmented Reality PPE Personal Protective Equipment
PPP Public Private Partnership
CAD Computer-aided design
REACH A European Union regulation concerning chemicals,
CAM Computer-aided manufacturing entered into force in 2007.
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation
D4R Design for Recycling and Restriction of Chemicals.
ETP European Technology Platform RiD Recycling in Design
FEM Finite Element Method SC-CO2 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
HORIZON The EU Framework Programme for Research SCM Supply Chain Management
2020 and Innovation for the period of 2014 to 2020
TCI Textile and Clothing Industry
Investment As used in the research priority descriptions of chapter 2.
scale Describes the approximate investment required to build Time horizon As used in the research priority descriptions of chapter 2.
and install an operational pilot demonstration system at to industrial Describes the approximate time frame it is expected to take
(semi)industrial scale. Small = up to 1 million, pilot readiness from todays research/technology state-of-the-art until an
medium = 1-10 million, large = over 10 million operational pilot demonstration system at (semi)industrial
scale can be developed.
IOT Internet of Things Short = up to 3 years, medium = 4-7 years, long = 8+ years
LCA Life Cycle Assessment TRL Technology Readiness Level, defining the maturity of a
OEM Original Equipment Manfacturer technology along a continuum from 1 (basic scientific
principles observed) up to 9 (full-scale functioning system
PBS Polybutylene succinate proven in a relevant operational environment)
PEF Product Environmental Footprint VET Vocational Education and Training
PHA Polyhydroxyalkanoates VR Virtual Reality
References
Analysis of the Future Direction and Policy Needs of European Industry, draft interim report Textile and Clothing sector,
European Commission Joint Research Centre, unpublished draft 2016
EURATEX Annual Report 2015, The European Apparel and Textile Confederation, 2016, http://euratex.eu/library/reports/annual-reports
60 European Skills Council Textile, Clothing, Leather, Footwear, Annual Report 2014, http://europeanskillscouncil.t-c-l.eu/en/reports.aspx
Perspektiven 2025, Handlungsfelder fr die Textilforschung der Zukunft, Forschungskuratorium Textil e.V., 2012
http://www.textilforschung.de/perspektiven2025
Repatriation of UK textiles manufacture, A report for The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Alliance Project Team, 2015
http://neweconomymanchester.com
The European Technology Platform for Textiles and Clothing A Vision for 2020, EURATEX, 2004
www.textile-platform.eu/download/keydocuments/research-agenda-roadmaps
The Future is Textiles, Strategic Research Agenda of the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing, Textile ETP, 2006
www.textile-platform.eu/download/keydocuments/research-agenda-roadmaps
Zukunft Textil Jahresbericht 2015, Deutsche Institute fr Textil- und Faserforschung Denkendorf, 2016, www.ditf-denkendorf.de
Useful further information sources

The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing, www.textile-platform.eu
AUTEX Association of Universities for Textiles, www.autex.eu
EURATEX The European Apparel and Textile Confederation, www.euratex.eu
Textranet Textile Transfer Network, www.textranet.net
European Commission, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Sector Textiles and Clothing
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/fashion/textiles-clothing_en
European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Directorate for Industrial Technologies, http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/index_en.cfm
European Commission - HORIZON 2020 Programme: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/
About the Textile ETP

The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP) is the largest European network dedicated
to textile research and innovation. Its main objectives are to ensure long-term competitiveness of the EU textile and clothing industry
through collaborative research across national borders in Europe and a rapid translation of research results into industrial innovation.
Its services and activities include strategy and policy development for European textile research, information provision about EU textile
research funding opportunities, brokerage of partnerships for EU research funding applications, dissemination of results of EU-funded
textile research projects, organisation of conferences and seminars on textile innovation trends and new technology developments and
networking among its members and other organisations interested in textile research and innovation in Europe. The Textile ETP cur-
rently has about 175 member organisations from industry, research and higher education with a total of over 500 registered individual
experts. For more information, visit: www.textile-platform.eu
62
Publishing editor
Lutz Walter Textile ETP | Belgium
Editorial team
Rosa Lpez AITEX | Yves-Simon Gloy ITA RWTH Aachen | Myriam Vanneste and Guy Buyle Centexbel | Kay Ullrich TITV
Dieter Stellmach DITF-MR | Vincent Nierstrasz University of Bors | Anton Luiken and Gerrit Bouwhuis Saxion University
Jan Marek Inotex | Lisa Schwarz and Erik Perzon Swerea IVF | Magorzata Zimniewska Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants
Carla Silva and Joo Gomes CeNTI | Marghertia Cioffi DAppolonia
Concept and graphic design

www.musicanti.eu
Copyright
Textile ETP | 2016
c/o EURATEX | rue Montoyer 24, 1000 Brussels | Belgium

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Towards a 4th

1. The European Textile and Clothing Industry Today and Tomorrow 6

2. The Strategic Innovation Themes and Research Priorities 9

Innovation Theme III

3. Cross-cutting Innovation Drivers 56

4. Game changers and long shots for 2025 and beyond 59

Glossary and terms 60

Smaller volumes higher values

In the textile sector these include research, development, testing 0%

assembly into complex high-value components or products. It also Clothing Textile

Turnover Value added/empl. (indexed, 2010 = 100) Export/turnover in %

250,000 Circle sizes correspond to annual turnover (in ).

Labour productivity (turnover in /employee) Employment (number)

FUTURE VISION 2025

Innovation Theme III

High-performance material solutions

Research and technological development must find perfect combina-

Smarting up materials and products

Key technological challenges and innovation targets

1.1.1 Development of cost effective high-performance fibres focused on:

1.1.3 Development of multicomponent and multifunctional fibres:

1.1.4 Developments of new functional fibre finishings:

Requirements for industrial scale demonstration and market take-up

Required key collaboration Time horizon to Pilot

Sport, Protection, Advanced material, industrial 3-5 Medium-long Medium-Large

All Nanotechnology, advanced materials, 6 Medium Medium

Sports, Medical, automotive materials/composites, 5-6 Medium Medium

All Chemistry, advanced composites 6-7 Short-medium Medium

All Advanced materials, composites, 5-7 Short-medium Medium

Protection, Automotive, nano-technology, chemistry, advanced 4-6 Medium-long Medium-Large

Key technological challenges and innovation targets

Optimal material utilisation in these novel structures is essential

The main aim of these developments is to obtain a better material

Reinforced non-crimp fabric and tailored fiber placement

1.2.2 Development of novel net shape 3D textile solutions

1.2.3 Performance-tailored technical textiles

Requirements for industrial scale demonstration and market take-up

Production technology needs to be tuned and readjusted for advanced

Supply chains needs to developed or adjusted in order to realise the

Required key collaboration Time horizon to Pilot

Automotive, Construction, Materials/composites, mechanical 4-7 Medium Medium

Sport, Protection, Medical, Materials/composites, mechanical 4-7 Medium Medium

Sport, Protection, Medical, Materials/composites, mechanical 4-7 Medium Medium

Fashion, Interiors, Sport Materials/composites, mechanical 5-7 Medium-long Medium

Combined functionalities may lead to unstable formulations or decrease

1.3.1 Development of multiple textile surface functionalities in one layer

1.3.2 Development of multiple monofunctionalities (uniform vs pattern/design)

Requirements for industrial scale demonstration and market take-up

Many prototypes are available in which new/smart functionalisa-

Required key collaboration Time horizon to Pilot

All sectors using multifunctional Chemistry, (modelling) 3-8 Short-medium Small-medium

Other (smart and technical) textile Engineering, nanotechnology, Small-medium

All sectors using textiles materials Chemistry, advanced material/ Small-medium

1.4.1 Fibre and yarn developments

1.4.2 Fabric developments

1.4.3 Surface functionalisation

1.4.4 Sensor, actuator, energy, communication, data processing developments

1.4.5 System integration

1.4.6 Usability and design

Requirements for industrial scale demonstration and market take-up