Smartex’s AI Spots Defects In Textile Production

September 15, 2023

Category: General

Country: Portugal

This platform can spot errors and defects before they create waste, making textile production more efficient and sustainable

Written By: Lisa Magloff
13th September 2023

Spotted: The fashion industry has been in for a lot of criticism over its poor environmental record – and with good reason. Textile production makes up 10 per cent of global carbon emissions and produces more than 20 per cent of global wastewater. Luckily, awareness of these issues is leading to innovations that are driving change in the sector.

One of the companies working to make textiles greener is Smartex, which has developed a suite of software tools that make fabric production more efficient. Smartex’s Core platform uses cameras, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to make fabric production more efficient. The system identifies defects before they can create waste, aids in article management, and creates digital twins of textile rolls produced, among other features.

At the same time, the company’s more recently unveiled Loop platform provides suppliers with precise data down to each roll of fabric, enabling greater transparency across the supply chain. The result is much greater efficiency and communication between suppliers and brands – all of which reduce waste.

The increased interest in making fashion more sustainable means there is a big demand for this type of platform. Smartex completed a $24.7 million (around €23 million) series A funding round in 2022, building on a $2.9 million (around €2.7 million) seed round in 2019.

Smartex’s Taylor Bradley told Springwise that the company “will continue to tackle enormous, pervasive problems across the global textile industry by providing tailored AI, software and hardware solutions which will help the industry become modernised and digitised. Our goal is to provide essential tools for every Modern Textile Factory.”

The fashion industry has been working to improve its environmental track record with a wide number of innovations. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted 3D weaving to reduce textile waste and leather alternatives made from brewing waste.

Courtesy: Springwise.com