FiberFact is a Dutch–German Interreg project developing reliable methods to measure the recycled content and origin of fibres in textiles. It addresses a central gap in the circular textile economy: the lack of objective verification of how much recycled fibre a product contains, whether it comes from pre- or post-consumer sources, and whether it was recycled through closed- or open-loop processes.
The consortium combines universities of applied sciences, textile companies, technology providers, laboratories, and sector organisations from the border region. Using spectroscopy, scattering techniques, chemical analysis, chemometrics, and AI-based data analysis, FiberFact will create material fingerprints for cotton, synthetic, and regenerated fibres.
The results will be integrated into a functional pilot device and tested on commercially relevant textiles. The project aims to support reliable certification, reduce greenwashing, strengthen sustainable SMEs, and prepare implementation in line with frameworks such as the Digital Product Passport and Extended Producer Responsibility.
