THREADs Face-to-Face in Oslo, Norway

In December 2025, the THREADS team met face-to-face in Norway, for the first time in a long time! The first day of our meeting was all about smaller sessions—three mini-workshops where each work package had its own discussions. The next day, we brought everyone together for a joint workshop to share insights and connect the dots. During these sessions, partners talked about progress, key milestones, and challenges. The joint workshop focused on exchanging information across work packages.

We also had some inspiring presentations from three companies:

• Recouture: They redesign discarded technical garments like Gore-Tex and Primaloft jackets, mixing them with locally woven wool textiles to create unique signature pieces. The brand has an exclusive agreement with a high-quality brand Norrøna, from where it gets all the garments that are for some reason not sellable.
• The Liis: A leasing concept for municipalities where kindergartens can rent playsuits for kids. This reduces the number of suits needed and ensures all children wear the same high-quality gear, helping bridge economic gaps between families.
• Vandre: A platform that connects producers and retailers with local seamstresses and repair businesses. Their goal is to make repairs more systematic and efficient for both customers and businesses.

We also visited Norwegian Re:Textile, where CEO Knut Skinnes walked us through Norway’s textile collection and sorting process. Since launching in March 2025, they’ve collected 500 tonnes of used textiles from partner municipalities, sorting them locally and exporting what can’t be reused. Everything is hand-sorted by local workers, including people with minor disabilities who thrive in repetitive tasks. Knut believes this low-equipment, manual model could be replicated elsewhere in Norway. Partners compared these practices with their own and discussed ways to improve efficiency.

The next day, we toured Norsk Tekstilgjenvinning (NTG) for a deep dive into textile recycling. NTG is the only company in Norway doing recycling at an industrial scale. The founder emphasized that today’s curbside collection system won’t work for recycling because textiles need to be clean and dry. Most of what they recycle now comes from hospitals and pre-consumer sources. We also saw their sorting facilities, where they’re experimenting with AI-powered cameras to identify fiber composition, colors, patterns, and chemicals. For now, sorting is still done by hand, providing valuable work experience for many.

Face-to-face meetings aren’t always easy in international projects like THREADS, but they’re incredibly valuable. Collaboration is the key to a sustainable future, and we’re so grateful for the chance to meet, learn, and explore together!