Marchi & Fildi and Konica Minolta: AI arrives that “unmasks” fake recycled materials in the textile sector

An algorithm capable of recognizing yarns and their composition to optimize recycling . This is the challenge that Marchi & Fildi , a Biella-based group active worldwide in the sustainable production of yarns, has taken up in collaboration with the giant Konica Minolta . The two companies are testing Hyper ReTex , a machine capable, thanks to artificial intelligence and hyperspectral cameras , of analyzing the real composition of fabrics and discovering in real time if and how much material is actually recycled.

The innovation has arrived in a context increasingly under pressure for greenwashing and lack of transparency and has set itself the goal of providing objective, fast and economically sustainable answers to an increasingly strong demand for traceability and control in the supply chain . Currently, each batch purchased by Marchi & Fildi is chemically analyzed by external laboratories and, also due to the long lead times and high costs, the company has decided to work alongside Konica Minolta to build a technological system capable of simplifying the quality control processes of fabrics.

To date, the instrument recognises cotton , polyester , polycotton , elastane , polyamide 6 , polyamide 6.6 , wool and viscose , but thanks to training work conducted on samples with known compositions, it will be progressively "trained" on other fibres as well.

“The Artificial Intelligence that we are helping to develop will allow us to analyze much larger quantities of material, with a drastic reduction in time and costs, and with the possibility of keeping the entire process internally, directly guaranteeing quality to our customers” explained Marchi & Fildi .

As for the first objectives of the project, a 20% increase in the volumes of controlled raw material is expected, a 70% decrease in analysis times and 80% in external costs. With the use of Hyper ReTex , moreover, it will be possible to externalize only a small part of the tests, allowing the concentration of control from within and guaranteeing customers reliable and transparent compositions.

The project was therefore born as a concrete response to the growing attention of consumers, brands and institutions towards authentic sustainability , which is made possible by the synergy between a long-standing manufacturing reality such as Marchi & Fildi and Konica Minolta technology.

“Konica Minolta has environmental sustainability in its mission and has decided to invest its best technology to create value in the textile supply chain, while offering a concrete contribution against climate change. Hyper ReTex is part of this commitment, with the aim of ensuring accurate detection of recycled content and supporting true circularity in the textile sector,” concluded the company .