Recycling footwear remains one of the more difficult challenges for the circular economy. Shoes combine multiple materials, colours and components, making automated identification and separation technically challenging

Germany-based MACHINE-VISION.io demonstrated its Tyre-Check.AI system, showing how machine vision and AI can automate the inspection and classification of used and end-of-life tyres.

UK based Matoha is demonstrating its CarpeTell handheld system for identifying the material composition of carpets and flooring.

The waste sorting rate at Siemens offices in Westend Square, Bratislava, has increased from 25.3% to 40.9%, with performance tracked through Sensoneo’s Facility Waste Management solution.

At the European Deposit Return Systems Association (EDRSA) Conference 2026, Clarissa Morawski, Founder and CEO of Reloop Platform, shared her perspective on the rapid expansion of Deposit Return Systems (DRS) and the next steps toward a truly circular economy.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 2026 — Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a fully recyclable polyethylene-based yarn that delivers stretch and strength comparable to conventional spandex-containing textiles, potentially offering a new route to reducing textile waste and enabling closed-loop textile recycling.

LONDON, 2026 — eBay has announced Trosort as the Global Winner of its 2026 Circular Fashion Fund, awarding the company recognition for its AI-driven textile sorting technology aimed at transforming circular fashion infrastructure.