CCB Magazine

Viktoria Kanar founded the biotech company Re-Fresh Global to return used textiles to the cycle - and was nominated for the German Federal Ecodesign Award. How does the concept work? 
 

INTERVIEW  Boris Messing

CCB Magazine:You co-founded Re-Fresh Global, an international biotech company that recycles used textiles. How far has the fashion and textile industry come in terms of the circular economy?

Viktoria Kanar: Not very far yet. It starts with awareness of the problem. I keep noticing that awareness is greater in Western countries and that there is also a range of sustainable textile products. But the range is only aimed at people who can afford such expensive alternative fashion items. Solutions to reduce the waste of resources and emissions must be cost-effective if they are to be accepted by society as a whole.

We use an open-loop process to break down textiles into their constituent parts, and thus into their synthetic and natural components, so that they can be reused in a new context

CCB Magazine:The EU's EPR regulation now requires textile manufacturers to think about the circularity of their products and processes. What does this regulation actually entail and when will it come into force? What does it mean for fashion designers and textile manufacturers?

Viktoria Kanar: Extended producer responsibility came into force on January 1, 2025 and obliges all players to consider the environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle, including recycling. This means that everyone in this ecosystem must establish a return or recycling system that does not rely on the traditional practices of incineration, landfilling or sending textiles abroad. They will then be obliged to find new ways of reusing textile waste. However, most of those affected will not be able to do this themselves. They will have to rely on specialized solution providers. Otherwise they will face penalties. 

CCB Magazine:Now you are just such a solution provider. The Re-Fresh Global concept is based on a biotechnological hydrolysis process that does not require any harmful chemicals. How does this process work?

Viktoria Kanar: If you take a look at the mass of global textile waste, you will see that most textiles consist of mixed fibers. This makes it difficult to break them down into their individual components. And it is unrealistic to expect this to change radically any time soon. Polyester, for example, cannot be easily replaced. The problem of mixed waste therefore remains for the time being. Our open-loop process offers a solution to this. What does open loop mean? It means that we abandon the idea of trying to turn a textile part, a garment, into the same thing as before. Instead, we break the textile down into its components, i.e. its synthetic and natural components, which can then be used in a new context. 

This is how the production process works at RE-Fresh-Global. Photos: копија

CCB Magazine:Specifically: How does this work? Which components are separated and what are they then used for?

Viktoria Kanar: Our process is similar to the production of beer. In a brewery, it is natural enzymes that cause the malt grains to be converted. In our case, it is also enzymes that eat up the natural fibers - what remains is a kind of biomass from which the various raw materials can be filtered. These raw materials are nanocellulose and bioethanol. Nanocellulose can be used in the cosmetics and packaging industries, for example. The synthetic fibers that are also left over are cleaned and can be reused in a variety of ways. For example, in the automotive, furniture or textile industries. Our process demonstrably saves large quantities of CO2. Our recycled nanocellulose alone has a 98 percent savings potential, i.e. compared to the production of new nanocellulose, recycling can save 98 percent of emissions compared to the production of nanocellulose from new cotton.

CCB Magazine:Is this a conventional process or something completely new? 

Viktoria Kanar: This is a process that we have developed and patented since 2021, which was created in collaboration between designers and scientists. We did our own research, sought advice from many academics and simply tried it out until it worked.

CCB Magazine: How important is the symbiosis of science and design for circular solutions in the textile industry? Where do these two communities meet? And how do you put together a team like yours?

Viktoria Kanar: It wasn't really a balancing act for my co-founder and me. We've both always been in the world between fashion and research. I myself was a fashion producer for many years, but I also founded a fashion tech community and collaborated with start-ups, among other things. I have always been interested in how the fashion industry can be modernized innovatively. I have also produced numerous events in the field of fashion and innovation, so I have been very well connected from the very beginning. But yes, the connection between science and design is becoming increasingly important.

CCB Magazine:Which companies do you work with? Who do you sell the raw materials to after the recycling process?

Viktoria Kanar:We receive inquiries almost daily from all kinds of parties who want to offer us their used textiles to get rid of their waste. We work with the automotive industry, for example, who use our raw materials for the interiors of their cars, such as Volkswagen. We have already signed contracts with many companies and will soon no longer be dependent on subsidies. In total, there are 14 different industries for which our raw materials could be relevant. 

CCB Magazine: You studied communication management and political science. How did you actually get into the fashion and textile industry? 

Viktoria Kanar: I did PR for the fashion industry for many years and later worked as a producer, so I was more or less oriented in this direction right from the start. 

CCB Magazine:What is Re-Fresh Global's vision? Where will the company be in ten years' time?

Viktoria Kanar: The goal now is to commercialize our process. In the long term, we want to create microfactories where textile waste is generated. We want to recycle the waste directly on site and pass the raw materials on to the relevant local companies. In two or three years, I hope we will be in a position to distribute licenses for this - globally, but for local solutions.