Kickoff for Textilfabrik 7.0 in Mönchengladbach – A RealWorld Lab for Sustainable Textile Production
On 19 March 26, in the TextilTechnikum of the Monforts Quarter, between historic textile machinery, the Textilfabrik 7.0 (T7) officially launched – a project aiming to transform the textile industry into a climate-neutral, circular, and digital future.
Central to the T7 are the CLIB members Hochschule Niederrhein and ITA of RWTH Aachen University, whose expertise in textile technologies, bioeconomy, and digitalisation drives the innovation framework. Together with the other partners, they will collaborate with industry to realise novel approaches for sustainable textiles by providing design- and engineering solutions.
With its “real-lab” approach, T7 enables the in-situ testing of cutting-edge technologies under industrial conditions. Its core modules include:
- Biosphere: Focusing on biobased feedstocks and biotechnological transformation
- OnDemand Manufacturing: Enabling adaptive, low-waste production tailored to real-time demand
- MicroFactory Concepts: Flexible, decentralized production units that can pivot rapidly
- Digital Textiles: Smart fabrics integrated with digital processes
Industry, research, startups, and regional stakeholders joined the “Textile Roundtable”, organized by Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, to formally kick-off the Textilfabrik T7. CLIB supported the event by giving an impulse talk about “Biotechnology: Microbes and Materials for an innovative textile economy”.
A series of workshops invited participants to contribute to the different modules. In the workshops on biosphere, the discussion centred on what industry considered most relevant: which textile waste streams should first be targeted for recycling, the ideal process scales for industrial demonstrators, and practical requirements for future-scale implementation.
The historic T7 hall provided a symbolic context, blending the region’s century-long textile legacy with a drive for a sustainable future.
This kickoff marks the beginning of the climate-neutral T7 Textile Technology & Development Center. It will be followed by the addition of a zero-emission, digitally enabled industrial park (2029 – 2033) in Mönchengladbach, where the T7 partners hope to see the foundation of innovative start-ups and industrial activity. This sets a foundation for sustainable, resilient, and future-proof textile manufacturing in the Rhenish Mining Area – and we are proud that CLIB members are at the centre of it.
Read more on the T7 Website, or the joint press release by ITA of RWTH Aachen (here) and of Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (here).
