The SORT4CIRC project officially kicked off on 4-5 December 2025 in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the headquarters of Textile House, one of the project partners.

The SORT4CIRC kick-off meeting brought together representatives from 14 project partners, chaired by the consortium coordinator, Constructor University. The project’s geography spans 10 European countries, demonstrating a systemic approach to textile circularity.

On the first day of the meeting, project partners presented their organisations and their roles in the project. The event was also attended by EU Officers Ms Blanca Saez Lacave and Ms Daniela Tiralongo, who elaborated on technical and financial aspects of EU-funded projects. 

On the second day of the meeting, the attendees were given a tour of the Textile House’s sorting facilities in Bratislava. During the tour, they learned about the practical challenges faced by textile sorters today and the technologies currently used at the sorting plant. Textile House will play a crucial role in the project’s success by supplying initial volumes of post-consumer textiles to test the SORT4CIRC automated sorting systems and by serving as a testing ground for processes developed as part of the project. 

The kick-off meeting laid a strong foundation for collaboration and knowledge exchange among partners. By combining practical industry insights with research and innovation, SORT4CIRC is well-positioned to advance automated textile sorting solutions and contribute to a more circular and sustainable textile value chain across Europe.