North Carolina State University will serve as a core partner on a regional research effort to advance U.S. capacity for textile innovation that ensures environmental sustainability by recycling waste materials into fibers for new textiles, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced. The effort will receive up to $15 million for two years and up to $160 million over 10 years.
The North Carolina Textile Innovation and Sustainability Engine aims to disrupt and revolutionize the $96 billion textile industry, driving advances in smart textiles, wearable technology, medical textiles and protective textiles. It will be led by The Industrial Commons, a non-profit organization with a strong reputation within the textile sector for being a hub of regional, rural innovation with deep local, national and sectoral knowledge and relationships. The Engine’s region of service encompasses the textile supply chain covering central and western North Carolina, and stretches into the Appalachian regions of upstate South Carolina, eastern Tennessee and southern Virginia.
The region boasts the largest concentration of textile workers in the United States with more than 27,000 workers and an additional 30,000 employees in adjacent industries, spanning almost 2,000 companies. At NC State, the Zeis Textiles Extension unit, the Textile Protection and Comfort Center, and research labs within NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles will provide development, fabrication, testing and training services to the region to help “green” the textile industry. That means capitalizing on the circular economy, or the process by which waste becomes a raw material input, extending the life cycle of products through improved design and durability, and ensuring systems that facilitate their reuse.
To read the full story, visit https://news.ncsu.edu/2024/01/new-nsf-center-will-advance-textile-industry-greening/.
Author: Mick Kulikowski, NC State University
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash