Choosing a circular upholstery fabric or acoustic panel often feels like looking for a needle in a haystack: too many options, too few guidelines. A new European tool now makes the process much easier for buyers, designers and SMEs in the sector.
Atlas of Circular Textiles: A Practical Guide to Textiles in Circular Office Design.
Textiles are everywhere in our offices: seat upholstery, carpets, acoustic partitions… Unfortunately these products often contain components that are difficult to recycle.
To address this challenge, Oost NL and Enschede Textielstad have joined a consortium of 13 partners from 6 European countries as part of the Circular EconomyThe circular economy is a restorative and regenerative economy. By maintaining the value of the products, materials and resources in the economy through smart product design, repurposing and/or shared use of products, it reduces the extraction of natural resources by using resources already present in the economy. Office (CEO) project. This project, which is co-funded by Interreg North Sea Region, aims to create a circular office environment.
3 Years of Research, Hundreds of Tested Samples
Over a period of three years, the team at Enschede Textielstad, a small-scale industrial weaving workshop with deep roots in the region’s textile tradition, developed and tested hundreds of textile samples. The aim: to strike the right balance between durability, circularityCircularity describes the quantity of materials managed in a closed loop. and suitability for office applications.
The main conclusion of the research is that there is no such thing as the perfect circular textile. The choice of the most suitable material depends on
- the intended use
- the expected lifespan
- maintenance conditions
- the available end-of-life options
Circularity is determined by the entire life cycle, not by a single characteristic.
The Atlas: A Practical Tool for Taking Action
This research led to the development of the Atlas of Circular Textiles, a practical guide available for free download, designed to help professionals make informed choices.
This guide is aimed at:
- public and private buyers wishing to incorporate circular criteria into their procurement processes
- designers and interior architects selecting materials
- office furniture manufacturers looking to review their supply chain
- decision-makers and sustainability managers seeking reliable benchmarks
Key factors to consider are:
- fibre selection
- production methods
- relevant certifications
- circular procurement strategy
What This Means for Your SMESmall and medium-sized enterprises
Do you produce or purchase textiles for work environments? The Atlas helps you to:
- ask more targeted questions to your suppliers,
- understand which certifications really matter,
- integrate circularity right from the design or procurement stage,
- anticipate stricter European eco-design requirements
Key Takeaways
The Atlas of Circular Textiles demonstrates that the transition to circular office textiles is possible if you use the right tools. At the same time, this European project also demonstrates how powerful cross-border cooperation can be: SMEs, innovation centres and public authorities are tangible drivers of change.
So don’t wait any longer and check out the guide!
Language: English