Greiz / Frankfurt am Main, April 2026 – Sustainability and digitalization are just as much a part of our everyday lives as textiles. At Techtextil 2026, the Textile Research Institute of Thuringia-Vogtland (TITV Greiz) will demonstrate how these elements are seamlessly interconnected across diverse applications. At the Thuringian joint booth (Hall 11.1, Booth B39), the institute will present its latest research and development projects under the guiding theme: “Sustainable by Design. Smart by Profession.”
The exhibition focuses on application-oriented innovations that address key challenges in the textile industry—from resource efficiency and reparability to smart functionalities and new fields of application for technical textiles.
Book an appointment now with the experts at the TITV Greiz booth: https://perdita.titv-greiz.de/apps/polls/s/ZPokKazG
Live demonstration at the booth: Repair of Clothing by Embroidery
A central highlight is the “Repair of Clothing by Embroidery” project, which aims to extend the lifespan of garments through sustainable, design-driven repair solutions. By combining digitally assisted embroidery, waterless yarn printing, and laser-supported cutting technologies, TITV Greiz has developed a flexible platform for high-quality textile restoration.
Used garments are digitally scanned and analyzed to create customized embroidered patches. Precise color matching, on-demand thread dyeing, and creative design options enable aesthetically appealing repairs tailored to each item. The long-term objective is a modular system that empowers textile workshops, embroidery businesses, and tailoring services to carry out efficient, resource-saving, and visually refined repairs.
Live demonstrations will take place daily from April 21 to 24 at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM at the booth.
Urban Health Guardian Bag: Sustainability Meets Smart Function
Another key exhibit is a smart, sustainable body bag designed for urban environments. Equipped with replaceable CO₂ and particulate matter sensors, the bag monitors air quality in real time, displaying results via an integrated LED interface.
Developed according to Design for Recycling principles, the product uses monomaterials wherever possible. Its modular, easily disassembled construction and repairable components underline a consistent commitment to circular product design.
Smart Healthcare: The Next-Generation ECG Shirt
TITV Greiz also presents a forward-looking solution for healthcare telemonitoring: a smart ECG shirt made from more than 90% bio-based materials (PA 11), reducing the overall carbon footprint by approximately 20%. Using 3D body scans and computer-aided modeling, textile electrodes are precisely positioned for optimal skin contact, ensuring reliable long-term data acquisition. nnovative knitting structures combine elasticity and comfort with integrated channels for protected cable routing. The exhibit represents the full textile value chain—from conductive bio-yarns to recycling concepts for recovering valuable materials such as silver—highlighting a holistic approach to sustainable medical textiles.
Textiles for the Car of Tomorrow
A further highlight is a smart textile center console developed within the InSum network. Designed for future automotive interiors, the console integrates multiple functionalities, including a replaceable heating surface, modular lighting, a textile speaker, haptic controls, and an illuminated cup holder. The housing is produced using recycled PLA via additive manufacturing. More than a prototype, the console serves as a versatile technology platform, demonstrating how textiles and advanced engineering can merge to redefine interior concepts in the mobility sector.
Young Innovation Highlight: The Glow Headband
The Glow Headband, developed by regional winners of the “Jugend forscht” competition, showcases the close link between research and practical application. Addressing a common limitation of functional coatings on elastic textiles, this innovation remains stable even under extreme stretch. TITV’s advanced powder technology enables exceptionally high pigment loading, resulting in superior luminosity. The headband combines afterglow properties for low-light conditions with photochromic effects under UV exposure. A specially engineered coating ensures durability, flexibility, and resistance to peeling—even under intensive use.
Bio-based Running Shoe in Collaboration with Adidas and zwissTex
In collaboration with Adidas AG and zwissTEX Germany GmbH, TITV Greiz presents a bio-based running shoe developed within the BioCushion research project. The partners created an industrially scalable process for circular spacer knits that can be adapted across various applications. This development highlights the growing relevance of bio-based materials in performance-oriented sectors and demonstrates their potential for large-scale adoption.
TITV Greiz as a Development Partner
With its presence at Techtextil 2026, TITV Greiz reinforces its position as a practice-oriented research and development partner for innovative, sustainable, and smart textile solutions—covering the entire textile value chain.
Visit TITV Greiz at Techtextil 2026:
Thuringian Joint Booth
Hall 11.1 | Booth B39
