HALO-TEX was featured at Ecomondo 2026, held from 3 to 6 November at the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy. Project partner Next Technology Tecnotessile (NTT) presented the project at its stand in the Textile District pavilion, alongside posters from other EU projects in which the Prato-based research centre is involved. Visitors could view the HALO-TEX poster and pick up a leaflet to learn more about the HALO-TEX project.
Europe's meeting point for the circular economy
Ecomondo is Europe's leading annual trade fair for the green and circular economy, the ecological transition and environmental technologies. Now in its 29th edition, it brought together companies, researchers, and institutions working on waste management, resource recovery, the bioeconomy, renewable materials, and sustainable industrial processes. In 2026, for the first time, an entire hall was dedicated to textiles.
That makes Rimini a natural stage for HALO-TEX. Giving textile waste a second life and replacing conventional chemistry with bio-based alternatives are central themes of the fair, and they are also at the heart of NTT's research and of our project.
The poster: a halophyte biorefinery for textiles and beyond
The poster on display, Halophyte biorefinery process for sustainable production of textiles, composites, and high-value biochemicals, was first presented by Elena Merli at the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE 2026) in The Hague on 19-22 May 2026. Its authors are Elena Merli, Daniele Spinelli, Ilaria Canesi, Tommaso Nieri and Matteo Maccanti of NTT, and it is openly available on Zenodo.
It explains the core idea of HALO-TEX. Cotton and wool are water-intensive, high-impact raw materials. Halophytes, salt-tolerant plants, can grow on marginal or salinised land, where they help restore soil health and improve water management without competing with food crops.
HALO-TEX turns these plants into three families of products through a patented biorefinery process that is solvent-free, low-energy and zero-waste:
- cellulose-based fibre substrates, optimised for garment recycling
- bio-composites for textile accessories
- biochemical ingredients for cosmetics and textile finishing
Within HALO-TEX, NTT develops the manufacturing pathway that takes the new fibre from raw material to spun yarn and, finally, to a finished knitted fabric. Along the way it builds in natural functional additives, all derived from bio-based sources.
Beyond materials, HALO-TEX is also building a secure digital system to guarantee traceability, transparency and safety across the whole value chain. Presenting this work at Ecomondo put the project in front of the companies, researchers and policymakers who will shape the circular textile sector in Europe.
