Abstract:

Technical textiles and fibrous composite materials have seen an increase in demand, as well as the development and incorporation of new products, due to their application in multiple sectors and the growing need of the market for products with new properties and features.

Due to this growth and the need to modify the linear production model of the textile sector to a circular economy model, it is necessary to redefine and adapt all the production stages, from design, production, applied technology, as well as the use and end of life of these textile products, to a system that allows the reuse and recycling of the product, in order to reduce its environmental impact and increase its sustainability.

The CircuTex project aims to offer an e-learning course on circular economy for fibrous composite materials and technical textiles, which will help higher education students in the textile field to improve their skills in sustainability and to become aware of how to act on this type of textile products to increase their useful life and reduce the waste generated. The course will be complemented by the incorporation of virtual reality in the performance of practices in a virtual laboratory, encouraging and promoting the learning of the contents. The project will work towards the validation and accreditation of the course and aim for the adoption and recognition of micro-credentials in the universities of the project partners.

Keywords:

Sustainability, recyclability, virtual reality, micro-credentials.