UPWEARS implementation and exploitation will have many environmental, societal and economic impacts. It will contribute to EU policies like the EU Green Deal and digital transition since it combines electronic devices and natural fibres and works on circularity.
From a technical point of view, UPWEARS will bring to the market several innovations:
• Novel biomimetic and bioinspired design for clothing applications
• Biobased materials from EU suppliers (Flax fibres / hemp fibres/ cork / industrial lignin)
• Functionalisation process based on fibre/yarn coating to improve fibre performance.
• AI tools and topology optimisation for production process control and material quality monitoring.
• Design for disassembling of sustainable e-textile & cross-sectorial interaction towards additive manufacturing.
• New pathway technology to replace bleaching stimulating the market of eutectic green solvents.
• Imbedded electronic with sensing features answering to future consumer needs.
These innovations will enable UPWEARS to rethink textile manufacturing by following the safe and sustainable design framework. It will lead to an integrated e-textile solution towards a new generation of sustainable and intelligent technical textiles from locally sourced European materials. UPWEARS will also advance the development of modelling and simulation: usability, material modelling, integration into digital workflows. The ultimate goal is to produce zero-defect products by leveraging automation and AI-driven monitoring, while creating a digital twin of textile products.
• Use of a new generation of renewable and recyclable materials designed with properties that are inspired by nature reducing the CO2-footprint of the textiles industry
• Minimising manufacturing waste thanks to artificial intelligence technology and multiscale testing
• Effective circularity enabling technologies for technical textiles, non-woven and fibre-reinforced composites.
• Reducing chemical usage by incorporating enzymatic processes and eutectic green solvents
• Job creation in Europe (from the field to the market), implementation European labour laws and quality requirements…
• This value chain will be valuable for the European competitivity on the global market and avoid dependencies on third countries
• Reinforcing industrial leadership and increasing European autonomy with security of supply in raw materials, dynamic industrial innovation ecosystems and advanced solutions for substitution, resource and energy efficiency, effective reuse, recycling and clean primary production of raw materials
• Producing recommendations and solutions to recycle textiles to avoid landfilling and discard
• Raising the awareness of at least 1 000 stakeholders on the importance of the sourcing and manufacturing of their clothes and the importance of recyclability
The project is also aligned with the United Nation sustainable development goal 12 – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns since it proposes a responsible product to the consumer.
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under grant agreement No 101130741. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the Horizon Europe or the HADEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
