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The Textile Initiative

What if the waste of today
became the building material
of tomorrow?

Austria produces more than 150,000 tonnes of used textiles every year.
Most of it ends up in landfill or is incinerated.
We’re looking at how these fibres can become a building material instead.

The idea

Circular economy instead of
throwaway culture

Used textiles — selected wool, cotton, synthetic fibres — have a remarkable property: they provide excellent insulation. And under certain conditions, they can be bonded with concrete.

The Textile Initiative by VisionAlpin researches how used textiles from Austrian collection points can be processed and used as a building material — as textile insulation for buildings and as reinforcement in textile concrete.

This is not a finished product. It’s a research project. We report transparently on progress — and on setbacks. No greenwashing.

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150,000 t
of used textiles are produced in Austria every year — a large share ends up in landfill.
40%
of energy consumption in the EU is attributable to buildings — insulation is one of the most effective levers.
0
new raw materials needed. Everything we use already exists — it's just waiting for the right application.
The approaches

What we are researching

Two concrete application areas are the focus of our work.

Textile Insulation —
Warmth from old fibres
Processed used textiles — cleaned, defibred, compacted — can be used as insulating material in construction. They have comparable thermal conductivity values to conventional mineral wool products, but are made entirely from recycled fibres.

We are researching processing methods, fire protection requirements, and approval pathways in Austria.
Textile Concrete —
Reinforcement without steel
Textile concrete replaces steel reinforcement with textile grids made from high-performance fibres. The result: slimmer components, no rust risk, reduced weight.

We are investigating whether recycled fibres from used textiles are suitable as source material for textile concrete reinforcements — and what processing stages are required for this.
Get involved

Interested in the
Textile Initiative?

We are looking for partners from the construction sector, textile industry, and research. If you would like to be part of this initiative — write to us.

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