Porto - CITEVE, the Portuguese textile and clothing technological institute, has launched a €138 million collaborative project aimed at driving sustainable innovation and development across the country's clothing and textile industries.
The investment includes a €71 million tranche from de Portuguese's Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), approved by European Commission.
Named Be@t - Bioeconomy at Textiles - this ambitious project focuses on advancing the textile & clothing industry towards a new era of sustainable development, creating "a new rhythm of change in all segments across the sector", according to CITEVE’s general manager, Braz Costa.
According to Costa, Be@t will "boost the development of added value products from biological resources instead of using fossil raw materials, while keeping in mind the need for the production of high-quality products and the expansion to new markets opportunities".
Under the terms of the project, CITEVE will lead a consortium of 54 organisations including companies, universities, technological institutes, and other partners, who initiated their working sessions calendar at CITEVE's facilities in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal.
"These actions are very important steps for the enormous change we are starting to make in the textiles & clothing industry and in three years will revolutionize the whole sector, from feedstock to design, R&D or production lines," said Costa, adding that the bio-economy project implies huge challenges for creatives, researchers and developers.
Be@t will also support the matching of both market and legal demands related to environment and planet conservation with the aim of introducing a new chapter on raw materials as well as new techniques, technologies and equipment for producing or processing new biobased textile structures.
"As a result, the investment will generate considerable market chances to this sector as it drives the progress in sales strategies and promotion actions in different countries, which will allow the showcase of 'Made in Portugal' textiles and clothing," said Costa.
CITEVE is a Technological Institute which provides support and services to companies acting in the textile & clothing business. The Institute facilities are settled in Portugal (Vila Nova de Famalicão) with complementary fields of expertise, and two international branches, namely in Brazil and Tunisia.
Services include product design & development, prototyping, testing and applied R&D oriented to innovative applications, as well as consultancy, training, and fashion intelligence.
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