Tèxtils.CAT, the Catalan cluster for advanced textile materials, participated in the "Textile ETP on Tour" mission on March 19 and 20 in Tourcoing, France, together with three of its members: Technitiguer, Hilaturas Arnau, and FINSA.

The mission, organized by Textile ETP—of which Tèxtils.CAT is a member—along with Euramaterials, Clubtex, and CENTI, aimed to explore the ecosystem of advanced textile materials in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, with a particular focus on recycling.

On the first day, the delegation, consisting of more than 20 organizations from across Europe, visited companies such as Peignage Dumortier, UTT, IMATTEC, and the CETI Technology Center. In the afternoon, a working session was held with all participants, dedicated to fiber and technical textile recycling. During this session, the cluster manager of Tèxtils.CAT presented the Circular Hub of Tèxtils.CAT. The day concluded with a networking cocktail.

On the second day, participants visited the ENSAIT facilities.

These visits have enabled the cluster and its members to gain a better understanding and explore potential synergies, particularly in the context of future collaborations in the circular economy sector.

Learning from different European ecosystems is key for the cluster in terms of developing and improving services based on best practices that can be transferred across different areas of innovation support.