Kapdaa has developed an AI-powered textile waste sorting machine. It is mobile and has the potential to sort tonnes of clothing a week around London boroughs.
Textile waste is a big issue in the UK, with 1.2 million tonnes of textile waste going to landfill. Discarded clothing is 350,000 tonnes of that (Shred Station). Each Briton throws away 1kg of textiles a year, the fourth highest in Europe. 7kg of fashion waste per person goes to landfill. The UK recycles less than 20% of used clothing (Business Waste).
One of the reasons that so little fashion waste is recycled is the issues that surround sorting it. Sorting the type of garment, for example those with zips or buttons that are not textiles. And establishing the fabric composition (cotton, polyester, etc).
Nishant Parekh is the owner of Kapdaa. They are a stationery manufacturer that upcycles fabrics in the manufacturing process. He was aware of the issues surrounding textile waste from this work.
We first met Nish when we invited him to meet with us and the Royal Opera & Ballet. They wanted to discuss donating the waste from their costume department in a bid to make their productions more sustainable. The Royal Opera & Ballet subsequently donated textiles and accessories to various Blue Patch members and the community then transformed it using their skills.
Nish and the team at Kapdaa created tote bags with linings from a variety of costumes. He biked to and from the Opera House with the donated fabrics and the finished totes, where they were sold in the shop. Each bag contains a story of the original production with a label inside it telling the buyer what the character and production was.
When he mentioned his AI vision to Jane at Blue Patch, she tapped into her established networks and her trust-based relationship with the Royal Ballet & Opera. The result is a project funded by InnovateUK to build AI4Fibres under the company In-thebox.co.uk Limited.
“We envision a future where our technological advancements quietly revolutionise the cycle of use and reuse, making textile waste a concept of the past. Our aspiration is to foster a circular economy that equally values materials and people, supported by technology that empowers industries and communities to sustainably manage their textile resources.”
Nish, Kapdaa
Jane visited AI4Fibres and found out from the engineers how it works. The solar- and AI-powered sorting machine first sorts the clothing by type, then treats it with a powerful light to kill any bacteria that may be lurking. Sorters (real people this time), sort through the clothing to find saleable items. Anything that is not saleable goes back into the sorting machine to be filtered for fibre composition.
The whole process is mobile – it sits on the back of a lorry. This can be driven to local authorities, charity shops, or fashion brands. It has the potential to sort through as much as 10 tonnes of clothing a week.
Recycling cloth in this way not only prevents textiles from ending up in landfill, but also reduces the need for raw materials. Recycling textiles uses less water and energy, conserving valuable resources. And it has potential for economic benefit with local employment.
The company hopes to improve the AI technology with the data collected by hyperspectral sensors in the sorting machine and to eventually automate the entire process. It is a truly innovative approach to using AI for good.
Jane says, “Blue Patch will be, we hope, increasingly useful as a platform to connect sustainable SMEs, suppliers and partners to meet the demands of net zero and co-create the circular economy”.
For more information on the project visit https://kapdaa.com/recycle/
