Germany drives AI-enabled textiles passport

Research partners in Germany have developed an AI-assisted system to detect fibre components and contaminants to boost the recycling of textiles. It means textiles can become part of a recyclable and traceable ‘product passport’.

Product labelling specialist Tailorlux is working with the SKZ plastics research centre in the KIMaTex project to simplify current challenges in the textile industry, such as traceable quality and reuse. Developing a reliable product passport should mean lower costs and a step towards a more circular economy.

Reliable analysis

A measuring system for recording spectra and images is being developed in combination with AI to determine the ingredients in textiles. Currently, most used textiles are sent to landfill or incinerated because of their complex composition, including substances such as polyester and cotton, and various protective impregnations. In addition, many materials are visually indistinguishable. Precise, economically viable sorting for high-quality recycling is virtually impossible with conventional methods.

The KIMaTex research project was launched in January 2025 and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The aim is to develop an AI-supported digital measurement system that enables reliable analysis directly on the actual material – mobile, precise, and traceable. Using spectral data and images, the system recognises both the proportion of specific fibres such as PET or elastane but also contaminants such as PFAS.

Passport application

Tailorlux is developing the digital measurement system and material data acquisition, while SKZ is training the AI models, preparing the data structure, and implementing the application. Using data and images, SKZ is developing AI that can recognise the material types and contaminants.

The plan is for the system to be incorporated into a user-friendly application that enables intuitive analysis on site and connection to digital product passports – an important step toward greater transparency and sustainability in the textile industry.