In the southeast French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a key location for textile and innovation, a revolution is underway. Techtera has operated there for almost 20 years, with a mission to lead the country’s textile industry into the future through business, science, industry and public authorities. With 282 members and over 15 billion euros in revenue generated since 2015, its large ecosystem of SMEs, research labs and training centers has already created around 63 000 jobs.

With a focus on sustainable and circular economy, digitalization and high-performance materials, Techtera is leading an ambitious program that offers a quantified and pragmatic overview of a future that’s already underway. Over the past 20 years it has carried out 293 projects, driven by levers that cover the entire value chain from R&D to economic support and training. 

Its core value is to tackle projects from conception to application and to plan the future from every end of the chain, simultaneously. As illustrated by Casttor, an industrial demonstrator designed to recycle textiles with polyester blends, and by a mapping project for production offcuts and deadstock that also addresses pre-consumer recycling. 

“Most companies don’t know the exact quantity of fabric they throw away says Issam Chaouki, in charge of innovation projects. Moreover, if an SME only produces 200 kg of waste, it won’t be able to recycle it due to economic and logistical reasons. So, our goal is to mutualize the collecting of offcuts from seven dozen companies, to guarantee they can be recycled.”

With these projects, Techtera aims to provide sustainable, operational and 360° solutions that outreach finished product and relocation. “As the industry relocates the Made in France label, there’s a risk of relocating all the problems along with it. This is why we anticipate, innovate and create close loops whenever possible.” 

From bio-sourced alternatives for textile chemistry to digitalization of tracking and automation of fabric inspection, Techtera steps in to turn good ideas into great ones, motivated by one conviction : the energy transition won’t happen without the textile industry, and harnessing tomorrow’s technologies from the start will make for a strengthen, sustainable and increasingly innovative sector.