The SmartTextMarker research group addresses one of the key challenges facing the textile industry: the lack of recyclability of electronic smart textiles due to complex material composites.
The project is funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) and the Federal State of Thuringia. We would like to thank the funding institutions for their support.
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The transformation to a sustainable and resource-efficient economy is a key objective of the European Green Deal. The textile sector faces major challenges in this regard: rising production volumes, low recycling rates and complex material composites have so far prevented true circularity. Electronic smart textiles further exacerbate this problem, as there are currently no economically viable recycling solutions for them due to the fixed connection between textiles and electronics. This results in the loss of valuable raw materials. This is where the project SmartTextMarker - Marker-based analysis and automated separation of electronic smart textiles for recycling into the material cycle comes in.
The aim is to develop basic processes for the automated detection, separation and sorting of electronic smart textiles in order to enable their return to the material cycle. At the heart of the approach are innovative marker fibres integrated into textiles, which for the first time enable design for recycling for smart textiles. The project is being implemented by a cross-institutional research group from TITV Greiz and TITK Rudolstadt and combines marker development, automated detection and robot-assisted separa-tion and sorting processes. SmartTextMarker thus makes an ecological, economic and structural contribution to the circular economy, strengthens innovation and competitiveness, and consolidates Thuringia's position as a location for sustainable high-tech textiles.
Focus Coordinator Textile Research Institute Thuringia-Vogtland e. V. (TITV):
Design for recycling, robot-assisted analysis, separation and sorting systems
Focus Project partner Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research Rudolstadt e. V. (TITK):
Polymer and fibre development, marker additives, melt spinning processes
Funding code: 2025 FGR 0063
Duration: 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2028
Project management: Alice Schwab
Figure 1: Research group in front of the SmartAutoSort system for further development of the project at TITV Greiz
Figure 2: Input area of the handling system equipped with various smart textiles
