- The collaborative project is promoted by the Waste Cluster, the MAV Cluster, Tèxtils.CAT and the Packaging Cluster, bringing together companies, knowledge centers and key stakeholders to foster industrial symbiosis and the circular economy.
- On February 12, an Intercluster Conference will be held at Barcelona Circular to move forward in defining business models and collaborative projects and to present the first results.
Barcelona, January 26, 2025 – The SINTEC project – Intersectoral Synergies for the Circular Economy – is making steady progress in building new models of collaboration between industrial sectors to address one of today’s major environmental challenges: the circularity of technical textile waste with high polymer content. The initiative is jointly promoted by the Waste Cluster of Catalonia (CREC), the Advanced Materials Cluster of Catalonia (MAV Cluster), Tèxtils.CAT and the Packaging Cluster, and is part of the Grants for Projects Promoting the Circular Economy of the Catalan Waste Agency (ARC).
SINTEC aims to study and activate new pathways for the valorization and reuse of technical textile waste, especially materials that are difficult to recycle, for their potential reintroduction as new materials in the packaging sector and other industries. The initiative is based on an innovative approach grounded in industrial symbiosis and intercluster cooperation, with the aim of generating positive environmental, economic and social impact in Catalonia.
A collaborative work roadmap
The project began in May last year and will run until April 2026. It is structured around a series of workshops and co-creation sessions combining expert knowledge, business experience and hands-on collaboration among companies from different sectors.
The first session took place on May 15, 2025, at the ALBA Synchrotron and served to present the project and identify the main shared challenges, needs and opportunities among more than 80 representatives from the four participating clusters. Based on this initial diagnosis, priority lines of work were defined, linked to waste management, polymer material recycling and the development of new circular business models.
Intercluster Conference in Terrassa: from identifying challenges to first solutions
The project moved forward with the Intercluster Conference held on December 11, 2025, at the headquarters of Tèxtils.CAT – CECOT (Terrassa). The meeting brought together companies, technology centers and key stakeholders from the textile, packaging, advanced materials and waste management sectors to explore potential cross-sector synergies.
The session included a detailed presentation of the conceptual and operational framework of the SINTEC project, highlighting the need to give a second life to technical textile waste and explore its integration into new industrial applications. This was followed by a highly participatory co-creation session, where attendees worked in groups to address key issues such as the types of polymer waste available, the technical and economic challenges of valorization, the possibilities for incorporating this waste into new materials, and the identification of technological needs, R&D&I opportunities and business partnerships.
This dynamic approach made it possible to identify real connection points between companies from different sectors, as well as opportunities to develop prototypes and pilot projects in subsequent phases.
Upcoming sessions and project completion
The SINTEC project will continue with two additional sessions. The next one will take place on February 12, with a new Intercluster Conference at Barcelona Circular (BAC), aimed at advancing the definition of business models and collaborative projects based on the ideas identified during the first workshop. This session will focus on the practical implementation of the synergies detected and the presentation of the first results.
Finally, the project will conclude with a final event on April 29, 2026, where the study’s conclusions, the identified industrial symbiosis opportunities, and a roadmap for intercluster collaboration in the circular economy will be presented. The goal is for this work to serve as a foundation for launching new collaborative projects and future funded initiatives in the field of the circular economy.
A step forward toward a more circular and collaborative economy
With SINTEC, the four promoting clusters strengthen their commitment to collaborative innovation as a key tool to address industrial sustainability challenges. The project positions itself as a meeting and co-creation space among strategic sectors in Catalonia, with strong replicability potential and the ambition to generate real impact in the transition toward a more circular, competitive and resilient economy.
