technologies evolve, so we need to build in flexibility now,” she said. Tomra gained important textiles


experience through its involvement in the SIPTex project, a landmark automated sorting plant with 24,000 tonnes/year capacity which opened in Malmö, Sweden in 2022 and uses Tomra’s Autosort technology.


Global regions Spain-based optical technology provider Picvisa was gold sponsor at the Textiles Recycling Expo. At its stand, Arantxa Mur, who leads marketing and communications at the company, said market drivers in the embryonic textile sorting sector differ between regions. “Automated sorting is more advanced in Europe as it is pushed by legislation. In the USA, it is brands that are pushing,” she said. In the USA, Mur gave the example of


Sneaker Impact, which she called “a very pioneering company” using Picvisa Ecosort technology in its footwear recycling programme. Sneaker Impact works with partners to collect end-of-life sneakers for recycling at its Miami facility and from the fractions produces and sells granulated foam material. Rubber, EVA, PU and TPU are automatically sorted with a Picvisa machine and Sneaker Impact has already enquired about a larger capacity machine after only a few months, said Mur. The machine is Ecoflake technology that has been adapted for use with the lighter foam materials. “We are a small company, so we can customise machines to our clients’ needs,” said Mur. Last year, Picvisa partnered with clothing


reuse company Esposito in Italy, showcasing the collaboration at that country’s Ecomondo exhibition in November. At Esposito’s facility in Marcianise, 100 tonnes of used garments and shoes are processed on a daily basis. Picvisa’s involvement has modernised Esposito with an automated line for sorting garments by composition and colour into 24 distinct categories, thanks to a double conveyor belt system capable of processing up to 2 tonnes/hour of clothing. Picvisa Ecosort sensor-based systems come in standard configurations of a single conveyor with hourly throughput of 1 tonne and six outputs, double conveyor with 2 tonnes throughput and 24 outputs and triple conveyor with 3 tonnes through- put and 24 outputs. Picvisa also offers


14 Textiles Loop • Autumn 2025


Louisa Hoyes, Segment Director Textiles – Business Development, at Tomra Recycling. Image: Tomra


Ecoclip systems which can detect and sort clippings with buttons, zippers etc. A core component of any optical sorting line is the technology that enables identification. Austrian company EVK has developed sensor systems, hyperspectral cameras and data analysis applications for classifying objects in the material flow and making decisions in real time. The company is well established in the plastic recycling, food, pharmaceutical and other value chains but it is new to textile recycling, Paul Fuchs, COO at EVK, told TextilesLoop at the expo. Enquiries from textile recyclers are increasing, he said. EVK – which was acquired by Headwall Group in January – is working in an Austria-South Korea collaborative research project to develop a sorting line for textiles incorporating technologies in addition to its own, such as AI and robots.


Material classes EVK’s Helios hyperspectral imaging systems and Alpha real-time data processing platform are capable of classifying up to 100 material classes. Its technologies features include: quantitative analysis of different fibre types; monitoring percentage of certain fibres in a fibre blend; quality control of input or output material streams. The EVK products are seamlessly integrated into sorting systems from suppliers such as Redwave. Fuchs said EVK is also talking to textile recyclers about using its technology for monitoring the post-sorting stream for them to understand how well it matches a


A visitor to Picvisa’s stand at the Textiles Recycling Expo learns about the company’s automated sorting technology. Image: AMI


targeted value stream. BT-Systems – and its Redwave Compe-


tence Centre – was a founding exhibitor at the Textiles Recycling Expo in June, where it showed its Redwave Tex sensor-based sorting technology. This textile-focused version of its established technology identifies and separates textiles by material type, colour and contaminants such as buttons, zips, or labels. The company said: “Since its launch at IFAT 2024, Redwave Tex has undergone continuous development – both mechanically and in software. The result is a versatile portfolio designed to meet diverse requirements.” The Redwave Tex line-up includes:


Redwave 2i Solution, a high throughput for basic sorting criteria that the company says


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