Strengthened by its long tradition in the recovery of used clothes, Prato is preparing to create a textile recycling center, in line with the objectives of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan which provides platforms (textile hub) to push the recovery process of these materials and give legs to the circular economy. And in line with the European standards that will impose, from 2025, the separate collection of textile waste.
The Prato textile hub project, which will compete for the ministerial tender on the circular economy with Pnrr funds (expiring in a few weeks), provides for a plant for the selection and treatment of textile waste with a capacity of 34 thousand tons per year, including those pre-consumption (14 thousand tons, about half of the production of the textile district of Prato) and those post-consumption (20 thousand tons, considering the entire future needs of Tuscany).
The contribution of the Pnrr
The plant will be built by Alia, the public municipal waste company, with an investment of 18 million euros. The contribution expected from the NRP is 2.1 million, but the company has already stated that it will do the operation in any case. The installed technology will be the infrared technology, considered to be among the most innovative on the market and able to automatically separate (thanks to optical sensors that recognize fibers and colors) incoming textile waste to send them for recycling, guaranteeing user companies selected material to be reintroduced into the production cycle.
A priority for the district
«The sorting and recycling of rags are at the origin of the district and represent its future – says the mayor of Prato, Matteo Biffoni -. What we have always done is now one of the priorities of the European agenda and for us it is the road to development. The realization of the textile hub is fundamental and this is demonstrated by the unity of purpose of institutions, entrepreneurs and trade unions “.
Driving sustainability
The area on which the recycling center will be built has already been decided, in the southern part of the city, and will be made available by the Municipality. «The plant is an interesting starting point – explains Francesco Marini of Confindustria Toscana Nord – especially if it is supported by research and innovation on the reuse of selected materials. For those who work in textiles, the demand for sustainable products, starting with recycled ones, is now an everyday reality “.