Monomaterial shoes can be recycled – into new shoes

June 8, 2026  |  EcoNote

One of the biggest environmental challenges with modern running shoes is that they are made from many different materials, which helps to produce high-performance shoes, but it also makes them very difficult to recycle. Now, researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer group are exploring a new approach: mak…
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Bacteria-boosted “living plastic” breaks down on command

May 26, 2026  |  EcoNote

Living things degrade, die, and decompose. Even when we turn plant and animal material into furniture or clothes, the process is inevitable. Plastics, however, are practically indestructible, taking as long as 1,000 years to decompose. Now, a team of scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Ko…
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Plant-based fibers used to form a lightweight chair 

May 12, 2026  |  EcoNote

Hemp Chair, developed in Thailand by Veronica Olariu, is a seating prototype that explores structural balance through plant-based materials and lightweight construction. The project combines hemp fabric with a pineapple-leaf fiber composite to create a system where stability is achieved through coun…
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Recovering critical materials from clothing 

April 27, 2026  |  EcoNote

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames National Laboratory and the Critical Materials Innovation (CMI) Hub announced the launch of a new collaboration with tech giant Amazon to advance technologies that recover and recycle critical materials, aimed at driving materials circularity and improvin…
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ZDHC publishes new Chemical Watchlist

April 13, 2026  |  EcoNote

ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) published its new Chemical Watchlist for the textile, leather, apparel and footwear sectors in February 2026. It has been generating some concerns in the industry since that time. According to usbcertification.com, the list contains1,673 substances of con…
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Porcher announces a breakthrough in thermoplastic composites

March 23, 2026  |  EcoNote

French manufacturer Porcher Industries has introduced a drapable, self-preforming multilayer hybrid fabric group designed for the rapid consolidation of complex composite parts. Combining co-mingled thermoplastic yarns with glass or carbon reinforcement fibers, this product delivers areal weights of…
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Reju announces site for recycling hub

March 23, 2026  |  EcoNote

Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company based in France, has announced a site for an industrial-sized Regeneration Hub, in Lacq, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, on the Induslacq platform. Reju, a Technip Energies owned company, is deepening its roots in France through the development of this …
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Everbloom develops AI model to recycle organic waste

February 23, 2026  |  EcoNote

Boston, Mass., startup Everbloom is turning organic waste, such as discarded down, wool and cashmere, into usable garment fibers braided by AI. The startup describes the textile as softer than merino, more indulgent than cashmere, and stronger than silk.
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