Textile waste is a serious environmental problem, with high potential as a source for production of new materials with added value. According to its origin, it belongs to pre-consumer (from the garment production) and post-consumer textile waste (from the households). With about 35,000 employees and more than 600 million euros annual exports, the textile industry is one of the leading industries in the Republic of North Macedonia, which produces about 700 tons of waste per year. With about 80 textile companies, the Municipality of Stip has the most developed textile industry in North Macedonia, which creates a substantial amount of textile waste with a high potential for new materials production. Additionally, there is no information about the textile waste generated from the households there.
The project aims to use the textile waste from the textile industry and post-consumer textile waste as a source for pillows, quilts/duvets and socks production. The textile waste from the textile industry will be provided by the textile company STIPTEKS DOO Stip, while post-consumer textile waste will be collected at 3 (three) collection points on the campuses of the University "Goce Delchev" in Shtip. The project will solve the problem with 6 tons of textile waste per year, which is produced by the company STIPTEX DOO from Stip and will encourage other companies to initiate or to create solutions for solving the problem with textile waste. This will partially solve the disposal of textile waste in regional landfills, which will affect the preservation of a healthy environment.
The proposed action corresponds to OF7 Initiative 4: Local with Global Coalitions for Chemicals and Waste Management. Waste is a global problem that has serious implications for the economy, the environment and the overall life of the globe. The traditional economy that is based on take, make, use, dispose and pollute model of production, stands in contrast to the regenerative approach of the circular economy, which is a closed-loop product lifecycle based on waste, with long-term targets to reduce landfilling and increase recycling and reuse. Therefore, using waste as a source for new material production will be intensified in the future. At the local level, there is no system for textile waste collection and recycling. It is usually taken to the city landfill, along with other waste. Although the potential for recycling and reusing textile waste is high, there is still no real initiative to solve this problem. This initiative will help the local community to improve its capacities to collect textile waste and to produce new materials with added value. Special care will be taken to include women/girls, youth and people from socially vulnerable categories in the project activities.
The collection of textile waste and its recycling will create a wider scope of possibilities for new businesses and new project initiatives based on the circular economy concept. The inclusion of people from socially vulnerable categories, in the short term, will strengthen their capacities in the labor market and will encourage them to open their businesses.
The action will create a partnership between the textile sector (STIPTEX DOO), NGO (Ino Tech Club and LCDF), and the academy (UGD), as a model for a successful local initiative. Within the UGD exists a Faculty of Technology with study programs in Textile and Clothing Design, Materials Technology and Textile and Clothing Technology, in the first cycle of studies. The capacities of the faculty will be used in designing and producing new products by applying the model "learning by doing".
The knowledge created by this project will be transferred to the business community and the general public, to encourage new business initiatives based on the circular economy and the use of textile waste as a source for new product production. Additionally, the created knowledge will be incorporated into the programs of the Faculty of Technology that deal with the topic of recycling and environmental protection. Therefore, this project is related to Initiative 9: Knowledge management and Focus 9.1: Taking knowledge and lessons from projects and activities. Additionally, the NGO ITK Stip and LCDF will strengthen the capacity that will help them in initiating new projects related to environmental protection and the circular economy concept.
To promote this new concept in front of local communities, a fashion show and exhibition prepared by the students of the Faculty of Technology will be organized within the project. Successful implementation of this pilot initiative will encourage other textile companies to create their solutions for the management of textile waste and to transform it into a new innovative product with added value.