Overview
The textile industry is one of the most resource-intensive sectors worldwide, making fibre alternatives and material substitution central to strategic development. The research project Preferred Fibre Lab (PrefLab) addresses this challenge by establishing scientifically sound foundations for the use of Preferred Fibres (PF)—recycled or sustainably sourced fibres—to substitute conventional materials and reduce excessive textile consumption. Driven by increasing EU minimum recycling quotas, demand for Preferred Fibres is growing rapidly, while their availability remains limited (“material gap”).
At the core of the project is the characterisation of fibre alternatives and the development of circular blending concepts that enable high-quality, marketable and recyclable use of these fibres. The aim is to avoid problematic material combinations (“monstrous hybrids”, Hall et al. 2023) and instead establish functional and sustainable solutions. To this end, PrefLab develops science-based principles for the characterisation and standardisation of mechanically recycled and locally sourced natural fibres, while also researching complementary circular blend strategies, including incremental blends, both conceptually and in practice.
The market entry of Preferred Fibres is currently hindered by the lack of testing standards, the limited circularity of existing blends and uncertainties in handling strongly varying recycling qualities. Together with industry partners from quality management, production and brand development, PrefLab addresses these challenges across four innovation fields: the development of circular material and blending strategies; criteria-based characterisation and standardisation of recycled fibres, including new testing criteria; the development of design guidelines and usage hierarchies through systematic prototyping; and the establishment of the Preferred Fibre Lab competence centre, including a material library as well as testing, evaluation and prototyping infrastructure.
The developed solutions are evaluated in a prototypical manner throughout the entire material lifecycle. All process stages are tested—from standardisation and yarn production to weaving and knitting, final product manufacturing, take-back concepts and mechanical recycling.
PrefLab represents the vision of a resource-efficient textile industry, driven by circular fibre solutions for natural fibres and standardised recycled materials—scientifically grounded, practically tested and further developed in close collaboration with industry.
