The Waste Cluster, Tèxtils.CAT, Packaging Cluster and the MAV Cluster have launched the SINTEC project (Intersectoral Synergies for the Circular Economy), an initiative that aims to transform the way technical textile waste is managed and valued in Catalonia. The proposal, which lasts twelve months, seeks to generate new circular business models and promote industrial symbiosis solutions between sectors that, until now, had mostly worked in isolation.

Technical polymeric textiles are one of the most complex fractions to recycle, both due to the mix of materials and the use of advanced chemical treatments. This reality generates a significant environmental impact, with low reuse rates and difficulties in the recovery of secondary materials. SINTEC addresses this challenge by proposing the reuse of these wastes to develop new materials for the packaging sector, reducing their disposal and decreasing dependence on virgin raw materials.

SINTEC represents a paradigm shift in circular economy projects in Catalonia. While previous initiatives had focused on a single sector, the project articulates cooperation between four industrial ecosystems: waste, advanced textiles, materials and packaging. This new transversal model makes it possible to identify unprecedented opportunities for industrial symbiosis, generate innovative ideas and maximize the efficiency of resources.

The project includes cross-sector co-creation workshops, a detailed sector study and a roadmap that will lay the foundations for future collaborations. It is planned to identify at least two specific synergies between companies in the clusters for the development of circular projects.

SINTEC will contribute to reducing waste and emissions, with an initial estimate of a 6% reduction in the carbon footprint, equivalent to nearly 1,200 tonnes of CO₂ per year. On an economic scale, the project will open up new business opportunities, improve the competitiveness of companies and promote models of industrial symbiosis that will strengthen the resilience of the productive fabric.

In addition, the initiative will have a significant social impact: an approximate increase of 1.6% in employment in the sectors involved and an active participation of companies, technology centers and job placement entities is expected.

SINTEC aligns itself with Catalonia's Circular Economy Roadmap (FRECC 2030), which identifies textiles, waste and packaging as priority sectors. The conclusions of the project will not only open new fields of innovation within these sectors, but also repeat the model in other industries such as construction or metallurgy.

With the support of the clusters involved and the active participation of more than forty entities, SINTEC is born as a reference initiative in the circular transformation of the Catalan industrial fabric and lays the foundations for a stable and long-term collaboration between the country's strategic sectors.