Avery Dennison and partners Valvan and Texaid have tested the use of RFID tags to improve sorting for recycling. Image: Avery Dennison
Valvan demonstrated its Fibersort and Hypersort systems at the Textiles Recycling Expo in Brussels. Image: AMI
will grow in a similar way to what happened in another Picvisa market, plastics recycling, where sorting and recycling capacity was established before demand accelerated. The company’s commitment to
textiles is shown in a technology partnership it formed with Girbau earlier this year. Girbau is a leading automation company in the industrial laundry sector and its Sortech system enables the separation and classifica- tion of garments in high-volume environments, eliminating manual tasks while ensuring a steady and controlled garment flow. The partners are launching a new plant in Northern Europe that integrates Sortech automated feeding with Picvisa’s Ecosort technology in a single continu- ous and fully automated line.
Automating the grading function Valvan was a large-scale exhibitor at the Textiles Recycling Expo in June, just as it was at the 2025 event. This year, the Belgian company’s stand featured Fibersort and Hypersort technologies. Fibersort uses near-infrared (NIR) and AI models to scan and sort garments based on fibre, colour, volume, woven or knitted, and weight. The Hypersort
12 Textiles Loop • Autumn 2026
system targets the reuse market by using AI to analyse each item’s catego- ry, brand, condition and other criteria and then recommend accurate pricing in real time. There is growing demand from garment sorters for automated grading for reuse to replace the normal practice of manual grading, said Gaëtane Decloedt, Sales Director at Valvan. The question being put to sorting technology providers, she said, is whether cameras and AI can choose the right grade category as well as a human.
An important advantage for Valvan and its technologies, according to Decloedt, is the company’s 35 years of experience in the textiles recycling sector. It has expertise in numerous areas, from balers and logistics automation to whole plant installation. This experience has allowed Valvan to see customers close-up and so gain an understanding of the issues they face. The large number of grade catego- ries in a sorting operation is a difficulty, as they can range from 130 to 350 depending on the sorter’s specifica- tions. Complexity is added by the needs of the sorter’s customer, which must also be considered in the training of AI software. She said Valvan recog-
nises it takes time to deal with grade complexity and helps customers gain a better understanding. Decloedt said start-up technology firms new to the textiles market make attractive-sounding offers to solve a sorter’s problems. “I’m not saying these difficulties cannot be overcome,” she said. “What I’m saying is that start-up companies make it sound easy, and it’s just not the case.” Mandatory separate collection of
used textiles started in the EU in 2025, causing member states to give support for new sorting and recycling opera- tions via EPR schemes. This has led to increased volumes being sorted for recycling but Decloedt said there has not been similar growth in demand for recycled fibres from clothing brands. “Everyone seems to be focused on
textile-to-textile recycling, and of course that is the best way, but we are not going to get there soon [ie a fully functioning closed loop market],” she said.
What is currently happening is that
recycled fibre is being sold more into non-clothing markets, such as insula- tion materials in construction and automotive applications. One custom- er, she said, sells recycled fibre for production of composites which have
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