LIPOR presents the first Pilot Textile Sorting Unit in Portugal

On September 23, LIPOR and its Associated Municipalities presented the first Pilot Textile Sorting Unit (UPTT) installed in Portugal, as part of the Integrated Project Be@T - Bioeconomy for Textiles and Clothing - a national milestone on the path to circularity and sustainability in the textile sector.

This new unit, on an industrial pilot scale with a processing capacity of 50 tons/year, allows for the reading and sorting of 14 categories of materials, by composition and color. The process includes manual and automated sorting, accessory removal, and baling, establishing itself as a pioneering infrastructure that will create knowledge, empower the waste and textile sectors, and pave the way for the creation of new business models, innovative reuse and recycling solutions, and the reduction of the environmental impact of textiles.

"This Pilot Unit places LIPOR and its Associated Municipalities at the forefront of textile circularity in Portugal. More than just a piece of equipment, it’s a starting point for unstitching problems and stitching solutions, transforming textile waste into new opportunities”, said José Manuel Ribeiro, Chairman of LIPOR’s Board of Directors, during the seminar’s opening session.

The seminar "How is textile circularity stitched together?” brought together experts, public entities, companies, and associations from the sector to discuss the major challenges of textile waste management in Portugal. Currently, more than 23,000 tons of textile waste per year are being sent to landfill in the LIPOR intervention area, representing almost 6% of total waste produced in the region.

Among the key issues discussed were the urgent need for regulation, the creation of differentiated collection systems, a clear distinction between "textiles” and "textile waste”, and the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility to ensure industry engagement and financing. Also highlighted was the need for national awareness campaigns, and the standardization of sorting and collection criteria.

The event featured speakers from CITEVE, APA, CCDR-N, INESC TEC, ATP, ANIVEC, Refibertech, RDD, and other Be@T project partners, and included a roundtable discussion on future solutions for textile circularity.

With this Pilot Unit, LIPOR strengthens its leadership position on sustainable waste management in Portugal. The next goals include evaluating the scalability of the Pilot Textile Sorting Unit, gathering concrete performance indicators, and developing local collection models in partnership with institutions, avoiding the installation of new public containers, and focusing on solutions like Drop-off Sites, mobile Drop-off Sites, and door-to-door collection.

Be@T - Bioeconomy for Textiles and Clothing, led by CITEVE, involves 54 entities including companies, universities, and technology centers. The project is co-financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) under the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, with the mission to accelerate the bioeconomy in the textile and clothing sector, promoting high-value-added products from biological resources.

It is co-financed under Component 12 – Promotion of a Sustainable Bioeconomy, part of the Climate Transition dimension of the PRR, within the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM), framed by Next Generation EU, for the period 2021–2026.