Transforming textile waste into new raw materials

Melina Gerdts
May 1
3 min read

Viktoria Kanar, CEO of Re-Fresh Global, on building a local-to-local recycling technology that is disrupting the textile industry and how companies can prepare for the EPR.

Closing the Loop on Textile Waste: How Re-Fresh Global Is Turning Trash into Treasure

Let's be honest: when it comes to textile waste, we've been sweeping a massive problem under the rug. Every year in Europe alone, 7 million tons of textile waste pile up. That's about 16 kilograms per person. Yet only a shocking 12% gets properly recycled. The rest? Landfills, incinerators, and oceans are bearing the burden. And the truth is, despite our best efforts at "donating" or "recycling," most of it still ends up as waste.

Fast fashion is one of the key culprits here. The industry has ballooned into a hyper-speed cycle of production and consumption, where brands push out new collections every few weeks. What used to be two fashion seasons per year has exploded into up to 52 "micro-seasons." This relentless churn floods the market with clothes that are cheap, poorly made, and not designed to last. Worse yet, many are made from synthetic, fossil-based materials like polyester, which don’t biodegrade and are nearly impossible to recycle. The end result? Overproduction, underuse, and an ever-growing mountain of waste.

The Root of the Problem

Textile waste isn't just about old clothes. It's about fast fashion's endless production cycles, fossil-fuel-based materials like polyester dominating our wardrobes, and an outdated infrastructure that simply can't handle the mess. Even donated clothing often ends up in landfills because the volume and quality just aren't manageable. Add to that the misleading clothing labels and mixed-material textiles, and you've got a challenge so complex that many companies simply chose to ignore it. Until now.

Introducing SmartUp

Viktoria Kanar, co-founder and CEO of Re-Fresh Global, knows the fashion industry inside out and she’s witnessed its dark side firsthand. Together with her team, she created the SmartUp System: a modular, scalable recycling technology that does something most others can't: it handles mixed-material textiles. No cherry-picking for pure cotton or polyester here. SmartUp uses a combination of biochemical processes and enzymes to separate synthetic fibers from natural ones in an eco-friendly way.

The outputs are groundbreaking:

Re-San Pulp: Clean, separated synthetic fibers ready for new life.
Re-Nano Cellulose: Nano-structured cellulose particles for cosmetics, packaging, and even electronics.
Bio-Ethanol: Sugarized water fermented into ethanol, already used to create the world's first perfume made from textile waste.

Beyond Recycling: Building a Decentralized Future

Instead of creating massive, centralized factories (and further bloating the carbon footprint), Re-Fresh Global plans to license the SmartUp System to local manufacturing partners. Think mini-factories integrated into industrial parks, turning local waste into local resources. It's a clear rebellion against outdated models of globalized overproduction and transportation.

And they’re not stopping there. Already working with the Volkswagen Group, Re-Fresh Global is making serious waves in industries beyond fashion, from automotive to electronics.

Regulation: The EPR, a Catalyst for Change

With the EU Waste Framework Directive and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) set to hit the textile industry in 2025, companies will soon have no choice but to act. Separate collection of textiles will become mandatory. Landfilling and incineration? No longer acceptable. But the sad reality is, most of the industry isn't ready. Re-Fresh Global’s SmartUp System isn't just a business opportunity; it's an urgent solution.

Innovation Where It’s Most Needed

Re-Fresh Global isn’t waiting for the fashion world to catch up. They are stepping in to address the textile waste crisis with a practical, science-backed approach. Their SmartUp System bridges a critical gap in the circular economy by tackling mixed-material waste that others avoid. By localizing production, partnering across industries, and staying ahead of regulation, they’re setting a new standard for textile recycling. In a market still dominated by greenwashing and half-hearted initiatives, Re-Fresh Global is about building real, scalable solutions for a system that urgently needs change.

Main Takeaways:

Europe generates 7 million tons of textile waste annually, but less than 12% is recycled properly.
Fast fashion’s overproduction and mixed-material textiles make traditional recycling almost impossible.
Re-Fresh Global’s SmartUp System offers decentralized, scalable solutions to transform waste into valuable raw materials.
The upcoming EU Waste Framework Directive will force the textile industry to manage waste responsibly.
Re-Fresh Global is already commercially active, supplying materials to companies like Volkswagen and preparing to license their system globally.