On September 10 and 11, Ellie was present at Circular Textile Days in ’s-Hertogenbosch. For two days, the entire textile value chain came together – from designers and recyclers to policymakers and researchers. Noticeably absent, once again, were the retailers, even though they play a crucial role in driving circularity forward. The central question remained: how do we turn circularity further into reality, step by step?
Ellie joined the fair for the fifth time, this year together with our partners Fedustria, HoGent (Hemp4Circularity), and Centexbel (Living Lab Carpet), highlighting how collaboration across industry, research, and innovation is essential to move from vision to practice.
Innovation & legislation go hand in hand
This year’s focus was unmistakable: inspiration, innovation and legislation. In particular, the newly approved European rules on textile waste set the tone. The keywords, both on the exhibition floor and during the engaging talks and panels, were collaboration and harmonization: regulations must not only be ambitious, but also workable across the entire chain and aligned across all European countries.
Philippe Doligner (Euric) put it clearly: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) must be rolled out swiftly and thoughtfully. Only then can we create a level playing field where producers, recyclers, and brands share responsibility for the transition.
Innovations that make the difference
On the exhibition floor and during the Next Stitch program, circularity was no longer just about concepts or distant visions, it was about real, scalable solutions that are ready to create impact. Among the highlights were SaXcell, a regenerated fiber made from cellulose-rich textile waste that proves discarded garments can be transformed into high-quality new materials, and ValueSort.AI, an advanced sorting technology that uses artificial intelligence to identify and separate textile streams with far greater speed and accuracy.
But the real spotlight, for us, was on the Waste Wizard: a digital tool co-developed within the RegioGreenTex project, in which Ellie.Connect plays an active role. This smart platform helps municipalities and companies sort textile waste more effectively and channel it into the right recycling streams. By turning data into action, the Waste Wizard bridges one of the most urgent gaps in the circular textile chain: making sure materials actually find their way to the appropriate reuse or recycling pathway.
As Christiaan Bolck (Oost NL) phrased it: “These are not distant visions; these are working solutions, built on strong partnerships.”
A mixed audience
Throughout our conversations at the fair, it became clear that the audience could broadly be divided into three groups:
- Devotees: the believers, fully committed to making circular textiles a reality.
- Cynics: the skeptics, questioning whether circularity can ever be profitable.
- Opportunists: the players mainly focused on marketing value and quick investments.
This mix sometimes led to inspiring but also confronting discussions. We believe there is large value in this diversity: every type is needed to push the transition forward. At the same time, we must stay sharp because greenwashing is always lurking.
The atmosphere: waiting, but ready for action
What stood out was the dual mood across the fair. On the one hand, there was a general feeling of hesitation and a sense of waiting, shaped by economic uncertainty, a lagging market, and the industry’s need for regulatory clarity. On the other hand, there was a strong, hopeful conviction: the innovations are here, there is a strong willingness to collaborate between all stakeholders in the value chain and the industry is eager to scale.
As highlighted during the Innovative Forum Session by Centexbel: research is underway, innovations are happening, the foundations have been laid but now it is truly time to act.
Conclusion
Circular Textile Days 2025 made one thing very clear: the transition toward circular textiles is steadily moving forward. The solutions exist, the partnerships are in place and legislation is beginning to catch up. What matters now is believing, investing, scaling and daring to do.