Écollant : Shaping the future of Textiles
Écollant was born from an ambitious goal: to revolutionize the design and manufacturing of textiles, a time-honored French expertise. Through scientific innovation, we are developing groundbreaking, environmentally friendly processes to build the textile industry of tomorrow.
Our central project focuses on recycling mixed-fiber textiles, especially those containing polyamide, a significant technical challenge. In France, every year, 833,000 tons of textiles, household linens, and shoes (TLC) are put on the market. However, only 268,000 tons of these items are collected and sorted at the end of their life. And among these sorted textiles, only a minority is recycled into new fibers to make new clothing.
Why such waste? Because most mixed-fiber textiles, including tights, cannot be recycled by traditional mechanical methods due to their complex composition.
At Écollant, we are tackling this challenge by developing technologies that can give a second life to these textiles, which are currently considered waste.
Timeline & ambitions
Since our inception, Écollant has been committed to transforming the textile industry step by step. Discover the key milestones of our journey and the ambitions that guide us towards a more sustainable future.
2021
- Launch of the first research work in the laboratory.
- Development of the first textile collections distributed under a white label.
2023
- Validation of our laboratory POC (Proof of Concept).
- 13 tonnes of textile waste containing polyamide collected.
- Launch of the first Made In France collections made from recycled materials.
2024
- Continue to optimize our recycling processes through R&D.
- Carry on with our life cycle analyses to constantly improve our environmental impact.
2025 and over
- Forge new strategic alliances with partners who share our values.
- Create our industrial demonstrator to then scale up to industrial deployment.
Why mixed fabrics aren’t recyclable: a technological barrier
The Example of Tights, Our First Case Study.
Écollant’s first case study focuses on tights, stockings, and socks, which are made up on average of 85% polyamide and 15% elastane.
These fibers are “gimped,” a specific technique that involves wrapping polyamide around elastane, creating a solid, soft, and elastic thread. This gimping, whether simple or double, allows tights to perfectly fit the shape of the body. However, this composition makes mechanical recycling impossible because elastane, which is present in large quantities, inhibits the recycling process of polyamide.
Our Laboratory Technology
We are developing breakthrough processes to separate polyamide (nylon) and elastane from end-of-life textiles. Our goal is to extract the polyamide, reindustrialize it, and use it in the production of new textiles.
Innovative Processes
We are developing groundbreaking, eco-friendly, and innovative recycling processes to separate polyamide (nylon) and elastane from end-of-life textiles.
Our goal is to extract the polyamide, reindustrialize it, and use it in the production of new textiles.
Development Stages
The initial work focused on used tights, a homogeneous resource collected across the region.
Our innovative processes have been developed in collaboration with top French laboratories specializing in polymers and textile technical centers to achieve a proof of concept at an industrial scale.
An Innovative Process
This global first earned Écollant the “Deep Tech” label and made it a winner of several “France Relance” project calls for its actions in favor of ecological transition.
Our laboratory technologies are the result of hard work and close collaboration with our partners, demonstrating our commitment to a more sustainable textile industry.
