OUR PROJECTS

ALADIN is a Horizon Europe project that is rethinking Europe’s textile and garment production through digitally connected microfactories, circular materials and on-demand manufacturing, helping SMEs create more local, transparent and sustainable garment value chains. The acronym stands for Advanced LocAl and Digital Innovation Network for Circular Garments. 

The main goal is to encourage the shift towards on-demand, circular and local-for-local textile and garment production in Europe. To that end, the project will 1) build a digitally connected network of microfactories for custom-made garment production and 2) develop a digital platform for SME services including customized design, manufacturing, and product traceability. In addition, the project focuses on using local and renewable raw materials and innovative technologies for recycling strategies.

To validate the ALADIN approach, three use cases will be tested: a semi-automated T-shirt, a smart kidswear parka that grows with the child, and a circular blazer-dress that easily changes with the seasons. Each use case also develops and incorporates at least one innovative technology.

The project partners, under the lead of the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF), come from six different countries (Germany, Romania, Belgium, France, Czechia, Italy) and bring a wide range of expertise to the table in the areas of design, embroidery, printing, digitalization, recycling, AI, and microfactory production. 

The role of CEDECS-TCBL is to act as a strategic connector between the project, our SMEs network and the broader European textile ecosystem: supporting the design of the Open Calls for SMEs, coaching the selected companies throughout their projects, co-developing the replication blueprint and training programme to help textile businesses adopt the ALADIN approach, and contributing to business model development and stakeholder engagement through its established European network.

Beyond the 10-partner consortium, SMEs and Startups will be involved through two Open Calls in areas such as automation, manufacturing technologies, and digital services. This sets the scene for a European-wide network of interconnected microfactories that encourages on-demand, local and low-waste production with circular and sustainable materials.

For further information see the project website (FORTHCOMING).

Timeframe: 2026-2030