30 September 2026 · 3 min
Textile recycling: end-of-life becomes raw material when it can be tracked
Recovery on a large scale
Igers in San Pietro Mosezzo proves that industrial-scale recovery is a reality.
Exteryo Report Editorial Team
For brands, the challenge shifts from collecting waste to proving the origin of the new material.
The short answer
Circularity in textiles requires three verifiable steps:
- Collectingthe end-of-life garment
- Transforminginto secondary raw material
- Linkingthe recovery data to the new production
The short answer
Technology ensures every step leaves an unalterable trace, turning a regulatory obligation into demonstrable market value.
Why it is not simple
The obvious answer is that circularity ends with handing in an old garment.
There is more.
Why it is not simple
The real shift happens when that fabric manages to re-enter a production process, requiring solid proof of its origin and transformation.
Chapter 1 of 3
How is textile waste transformed into a resource on an industrial scale?
Chapter 1
Recovering post-consumer textiles requires facilities capable of handling large volumes with automated and traceable processes.
Chapter 1
In San Pietro Mosezzo, in the Novara area, Igers has opened a facility dedicated to recovering post-consumer textiles, production waste and unsold items. The total investment is 8 million euros, supported by 1.3 million in PNRR co-financing.
Corriere della Sera, «La seconda vita dei vestiti passa dalla tecnologia» ↗
Estimate
What recovery percentage can a modern facility achieve?
Chapter 1
The facility is authorised to process around 19,000 tonnes of material a year. The industrial process integrates sorting, sanitisation, fraying and fibre inspection, aiming for a recovery rate of over 96%.
Corriere della Sera, «La seconda vita dei vestiti passa dalla tecnologia» ↗
Chapter 2 of 3
Why is traceability the real engine of the circular economy?
Chapter 2
Circularity does not end with handing in an old garment, but with returning it to production as documented new material.
Chapter 2
The new hub uses a proprietary system for fibre recovery and a blockchain-based platform to map and certify the various stages of the process. Traceability thus enters directly into the end-of-life phase.
Corriere della Sera, «La seconda vita dei vestiti passa dalla tecnologia» ↗
Note
Traceability becomes essential for brands that need to know and share the origin of their materials.
Chapter 2
As Gian Luca Miceli, CEO of Igers, explains, the infrastructure provides a capacity of 19,000 tonnes per year, reconciling regulatory obligations with industry needs. Brands must know and share the origin of their materials.
Corriere della Sera, «La seconda vita dei vestiti passa dalla tecnologia» ↗
Chapter 2
Circularity does not end with handing in an old garment, but with returning it to production as documented new material.
Chapter 2
New raw material
Chapter 3 of 3
How does the recovery supply chain connect to manufacturing?
Chapter 3
A digital traceability system creates an unbreakable link between the recovered material and the new finished product.
Chapter 3
Technology offers the answer to inextricably link every stage of the material. Exteryo follows the transformation of textiles from yarn to finished garment, recording every step.
Chapter 3
When the recovered material becomes a new fabric, the system creates a link between the codes. Each new garment inherits the history of the secondary raw material, ensuring demonstrable and verifiable sustainability.
Chapter 3
The steps:
- Recordevery step of the transformation
- Createan unbreakable link between codes
- Showthe entire life of the product
In one sentence
19,000.
Exteryo Report
Takeaway
How to certify the second life.
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Sources
Images and animations: illustrative objects generated with artificial intelligence. They do not depict real objects or documents mentioned in the article.
ExteryoExteryo Report · 30 September 2026