EU Funds Reward-Based ‘Smart’ Clothing Collection Pilot in Spain Under TexMat Project
Europe is stepping up efforts to curb textile waste and expand reuse by financing a disruptive pilot programme in Spain that will collect used clothing through automated “smart” containers and offer consumers rewards. The initiative is part of TexMat, a new project funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, aimed at making circular fashion and second-hand consumption a mainstream habit across Europe.
The TexMat project has received grants of over €6.76 million and officially began on October 1, 2025, with completion scheduled for March 31, 2029. Led by Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre and supported by 14 partners from seven EU nations, the programme will roll out two major pilot tests—one in Finland and another in Spain—focused on automated clothing collection systems tied to incentive models. The European Commission says these pilots will help develop new business models, technologies, and policy tools to involve consumers in textile waste separation and reuse, supporting the EU’s wider climate goals under the European Green Deal.
In Spain, the pilot will be driven by the University of Coruña along with Humana Fundación Pueblo para Pueblo, and tech firms IRIS Technology Solutions and Rovimatica. The plan includes installing high-tech street containers capable of assessing and pre-sorting deposited garments by quality, automatically generating compensation for participating citizens. EU authorities say the reward systems could be linked to second-hand markets through reimbursement schemes, creating profitable opportunities to extend garment lifecycles while supporting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks. Project leaders believe the innovation will also contribute to the future digital product passport, boost participation in circular fashion, and modernise textile waste management by reducing manual sorting and improving efficiency.
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