A New Approach to Textile Recycling: SKZ Launches Idea Contest for Plastic Components Made from Recycled Textiles
The SKZ Plastics Center has recognized innovative approaches to recycling old textiles through a nationwide ideas competition. High school and college students developed plastic components from used textiles. The winning entries stood out in particular for their innovation, creativity, and practicality.
Award for the shelf bracket: Winner Joscha Tschammer (third from the left) at the award ceremony at the SKZ in Würzburg. (Photo: Luca Hoffmannbeck, SKZ)
School and university students impress with practical concepts for resource-efficient applications
The SKZ had already issued a call for entries for the competition in mid-2025. The competition is part of a project (03DPS1071A) funded by the DATIpilot program of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), which aims to better exploit the potential of textile recycling. The background to this is the currently low recycling rates for used textiles—even though they often contain plastics that are easily recyclable.
Ideas Competition: Plastic Components from End-of-Life Textiles via 3D Printing
Participants were tasked with designing a plastic component that could be manufactured from recycled textiles, for example via 3D printing. The competition, which offered cash prizes, generated significant interest: numerous submissions were received from students as well as an entire vocational school class, among others.
Expert jury honors winner of the SKZ competition
The entries were evaluated by an interdisciplinary panel of SKZ experts from the fields of recycling, materials engineering, and process engineering. Joscha Tschammer was named the winner and invited to the SKZ for the awards ceremony.
Award-winning idea: Shelf bracket made from recycled textiles impresses with design and practicality
His design for a shelf bracket particularly impressed the jury with its successful combination of high feasibility, practical utility, and timeless design. As a special highlight, SKZ staff created a prototype of the product and presented it to the winner during the awards ceremony.
Diverse applications for recycled plastics
The other submitted ideas also demonstrated the diversity of possible applications—ranging from cell phone cases to components for home installations.
Great interest in sustainable solutions
“The competition impressively demonstrated just how much creativity young minds possess when it comes to developing solutions for current challenges,” says Theresa Forster, scientist at SKZ and coordinator of the ideas competition. “It was very rewarding for us to see how much interest there is in the issues we address at SKZ on an industrial scale.”
SKZ thanks the BMFTR for funding the research project and Hotex Textilrecycling GmbH for its support through material donations.
