Textile recycling: CETIA introduces SensorHUB, a smart, automated sorting system for end-of-life fashion items, developed with support from Refashion.
CETIA—a European platform dedicated to the automated sorting and disassembly of textiles, footwear, and accessories—has unveiled SensorHUB, a smart sorting cell designed to automate the identification of end-of-life clothing and footwear. The goal is to improve sorting accuracy in order to optimize the routing of items to the appropriate recycling processes.
A groundbreaking solution to address the challenges of circularity
As the textile industry faces a massive influx of collected clothing and a lack of large-scale processing solutions, SensorHUB offers a practical solution. This innovation enables precise, automated sorting capable of instantly recognizing the type, material, and color of garments, as well as the presence of complex elements (zippers, buttons, reinforcements, and metal parts).
Developed by CETIA engineers, SensorHUB combines several cutting-edge technologies:
- X-ray, integrated through an exclusive partnership with BRUSTIA, which makes the invisible visible (buttons, zippers, hidden rivets, and forgotten items such as lighters, keys, etc.);
- 3D and 2D cameras to determine the product’s colors and type;
- Hyperspectral camera and NIR sensor that enable the determination of the composition across the entire visible surface of the product;
- Artificial intelligence algorithms designed and trained by CETIA.
In a single step, the system assigns each item a complete digital identity and directs each piece to the most appropriate recovery pathway: mechanical or chemical recycling, disassembly, further sorting, closed-loop recycling, upcycling, etc.
SensorHUB automates what the human eye cannot do at high speed and on a large scale. In a single pass, it detects the texture, composition, colors, type, and number of hard points such as fasteners and metal parts… And it directs each item to the appropriate recycling solution.
Technology funded by Refashion with support from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region
This landmark R&D project for the industry was made possible thanks to funding from Refashion, the textile industry’s eco-organization, which is committed to accelerating the growth of the textile recycling sector in France. The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region also contributed to the investments needed to bring this innovative facility to life.
“We are at a turning point. The textile industry has begun its transformation but is still struggling with the first link in the circular chain: high-precision industrial sorting. The challenge is no longer collection, but classification. Without the industrial capacity to precisely identify materials, types, and components, we cannot effectively supply the recycling sectors. SensorHUB is our technological response to this urgent need,” emphasizes Chloé Salmon Legagneur, Director of CETIA.
A modular solution ready for industry testing this fall
Designed to meet the specific needs of sorting and recycling professionals, SensorHUB is a modular unit built for flexible deployment at recycling facilities, adapting to recyclers’ specifications: for closed-loop textile-to-textile recycling or open-loop recycling for other sectors. With a single goal: to accurately recover materials that meet the requirements for material composition.
SensorHUB provides intelligent support to sorting center operators: it enables the application of a wide range of sorting criteria to facilitate decision-making for operators and enhance competitiveness and the economic viability of recycling sorting operations.
CETIA is now inviting industry stakeholders to test this solution under real-world conditions so that we can work together to lay the groundwork for large-scale textile recycling.
“There is an urgent need to invest heavily in industrial testing to adapt innovations to real-world applications. All stakeholders in the value chain must work hand in hand to build circular solutions that are truly effective and, above all, competitive and profitable,” adds Chloé Salmon Legagneur.
