From Pilot to Practice: Mapping the Path for SOLSTICE Replication
As regions and industries across Europe actively seek operational answers on sorting, recycling, governance and decision-support, the SOLSTICE partners TECHTERA and POLYMERIS maps the ground and identifies where SOLSTICE outcomes can generate the most meaningful impact.
The approach deliberately combines two dimensions, territorial mapping and cross-sectoral replication, because the two are inseparable. Scaling a solution is never just a technical question. It depends equally on the readiness of territories, the strength of stakeholder ecosystems, governance structures and industrial capacities. At the same time, many of the challenges SOLSTICE addresses such as sorting complex materials, recycling multi-material streams, organising circular value chains, are shared by other industries working with polymers and composites.
Part 1: Mapping Cities and Regions
To assess where SOLSTICE solutions could take root, the TECHTERA’s team developed a methodology grounded in the European Commission's Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) "MAP" framework, adapted specifically to the textile circular economy. The assessment drew on multiple complementary tools: a multidisciplinary Stakeholder Advisory Board, workshops held during the ECOSYSTEX Conference, documentary analysis, and bilateral interviews with territorial representatives.
Rather than relying on a purely quantitative scoring system, the team chose qualitative guided interviews to capture the real maturity, ambitions and constraints of each territory, including information that is rarely found in public sources. The analysis examined three dimensions: the policy and regulatory framework, the territorial textile metabolism, and the local stakeholder ecosystem.
The 14 territories engaged were identified through CCRI networks, ECOSYSTEX connections, and the institutional and industrial networks of SOLSTICE consortium partners. The selection was not about picking the most advanced territories, but about ensuring genuine diversity in geography, governance models, industrial profiles and levels of circular economy development. The result is a map spanning 14 territories across 11 European countries.
Part 2: Extending Solutions to Polymers and Composites
The second part of the deliverable looks outward to other sectors. Led by POLYMERIS, the work followed a progressive, multi-stakeholder methodology combining interviews with SOLSTICE partners, mapping of European networks and projects, and direct engagement through workshops, webinars and bilateral exchanges with industrial and research stakeholders. The goal was to assess technical relevance, identify market needs and map concrete replication opportunities across the polymers and composites value chains.
Polymers and composites industries face many of the same structural challenges of the textiles sector: complex multi-material products, sorting limitations, recyclability constraints, and growing pressure to deliver higher-quality secondary raw materials. Extending SOLSTICE solutions to these sectors enables cross-sectoral learning and supports the development of more integrated circular systems, contributing directly to European goals on resource efficiency, waste reduction and climate neutrality.
Several SOLSTICE outcomes stand out for their replication potential. Advanced sorting and detection technologies, selective separation and depolymerisation processes, and functional recycling approaches are all directly transferable. The chemical recycling developments for PET and elastane are particularly relevant for multilayer plastics and other complex polymer systems that resist mechanical recycling. Beyond technologies, the project's Life Cycle Assessment methodologies, eco-design frameworks, and multi-stakeholder collaboration models offer ready-made blueprints for circular value chain development in adjacent sectors.
Next steps
On the territorial side, the next step is the creation of a dedicated Territorial Board bringing together interested cities and regions. This platform will enable peer-to-peer exchanges, return-on-experience sharing, and collaborative discussions on implementation challenges; helping territories adapt SOLSTICE outcomes to their local contexts and prepare concrete replication pathways.
For cross-sectoral replication, the focus will shift to consolidating transfer opportunities through deeper engagement with industrial, academic and institutional stakeholders. Several thematic webinars and European events are planned to disseminate project results and surface new use cases and potential partners. A multi-stakeholder workshop will help validate replication scenarios and prioritise next actions. Mapping activities and network mobilisation will continue in parallel, with the long-term aim of building a lasting community around SOLSTICE solutions and accelerating their deployment across other industrial value chains.
