Technology developers are aiming to make hand sorting of used textiles a thing of the past. Image: Shutterstock


Automated sorting: the new hands-off approach


Developers of automated sorting systems demonstrated their technological progress at the Textiles Recycling Expo. By David Eldridge


A remarkable aspect of the first Textiles Recycling Expo in Brussels in June was the high proportion of exhibitors connected with sorting technologies. Nearly one-fifth of exhibiting companies were involved directly or indirectly with automated sorting of used textiles. Live technology demonstrations at the show included sorting systems from Valvan and NewRetex, attracting many curious visitors over the two days of the event. Does this increased focus on automation indicate a change in textiles recycling, a move from established manual practices to technology-based sorting? The collective desire to establish textile-to-textile recycling in addition to reuse is driving the need for more advanced methods to identify material types and make sorting more efficient. Certainly those exhibiting companies speaking to TextilesLoop during the expo see growing opportunities for


their technologies, but they also admit there are plenty of challenges in their development work. Valvan epitomises the way the


technology supply chain is reshaping to the circularity trend. The Belgian company has been serving the textiles recycling sector for 35 years, starting with baling equipment, then adding automation for factory workflows. Valvan’s evolution has most recently taken it into automated sorting technology and it showed two large systems, Trimclean and Fibersort, at the Textiles Recycling Expo in June, making the company’s display the largest at the event. “We want to be the best in textiles:


baling, sorting, recycling,” said Gaëtane Decloedt, Sales Director at Valvan. The company’s activities have always been in textiles, she pointed out, unlike some technology newcomers to the textiles sorting market.


➜ Textiles Loop • Autumn 2025 11


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