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Sustainability & Recycling

Italy Opens Integrated Textile Recycling Plant With 19,200-Tonne Annual Capacity

• By  Textile Excellence
• October 15, 2026

STADLER has designed an automated sorting line for IGERS, combining near-infrared technology, fibre separation and digital traceability to prepare textile waste for high-quality recycling.

Italy has opened a new textile recycling facility designed to process up to 19,200 tonnes of waste annually, marking a step towards industrial-scale textile circularity.

Located in San Pietro Mosezzo, in the Novara province of Piedmont, the plant was opened in September 2026 by IGERS s.r.l. STADLER Group designed and supplied the sorting line and key treatment equipment, integrating the system into an existing building.

With a processing capacity of four tonnes per hour, the facility is designed to handle post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste, producing high-quality flakes and frayed material suitable for the spinning industry. It is described as Italy's first facility to integrate all treatment phases of textile recycling, with traceability throughout the process.

The project comes as Europe's separate textile collection requirements and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks increase the need for industrial infrastructure to sort and recover discarded textiles.

Patented process combines sorting and regeneration

Textile waste presents a complex challenge: it contains different fibre types, blends, accessories and contaminants, requiring precise separation before recycling.

IGERS has developed an Italian-patented process covering the entire sequence, from initial buffering and sanitisation to sorting, tearing and final output. The system integrates impurity removal, technology-based material identification, mechanical regeneration and digital traceability to direct each material stream towards the most appropriate destination.

STADLER worked with IGERS from process development and equipment selection through to plant layout and system integration. Trials at STADLER's test centre in Germany, alongside testing by IGERS, helped establish suitable configurations for handling textiles, which can fold, overlap and become entangled during processing.

Two-stage NIR sorting improves fibre separation

The automated sorting line comprises two dosing units, two TOMRA near-infrared (NIR) optical sorters and 16 conveyors.

In the first sorting stage, the system separates pure textile fractions, such as 100% cotton or wool, from blended materials and impurities. The higher-value pure fractions are stored in a buffer, while the second sorter removes contaminants and non-conforming materials, including hanger pieces and leather.

The buffered material is subsequently recirculated through the same sorting equipment, configured to separate it by fibre type. This approach improves material purity and prepares more consistent feedstock for downstream recycling.

Flexibility is built into the system. Depending on the material and sorting strategy, output fractions can be directed to a baler, storage containers, a recirculation buffer or the fibre-opening process. The plant can therefore accommodate different incoming textile streams and changing operational requirements.

The line is fully automated and requires one plant manager to start and stop operations and adjust the NIR sorters' settings.

Building capacity for textile circularity

For IGERS, the facility establishes an industrial base for expanding textile recycling. The company plans to develop additional recycling hubs in line with material availability, regional needs and demand for recovered fibres.

For STADLER, the project demonstrates the importance of integrating sorting technology, material handling and downstream processing rather than treating textile separation as a standalone operation.

The commercial challenge extends beyond processing capacity. Recycling depends on consistently delivering material of the right fibre composition and quality to downstream users. Reliable sorting, traceability and adaptable plant design will be critical as Europe builds the infrastructure needed to recover more textile waste.

For STADLER, the project demonstrates the importance of integrating sorting technology, material handling and downstream processing rather than treating textile separation as a standalone operation. The commercial challenge extends beyond processing capacity. Recycling depends on consistently delivering material of the right fibre composition and quality to downstream users. Reliable sorting, traceability and adaptable plant design will be critical as Europe builds the infrastructure needed to recover more textile waste.