Image by PICVISA

10 April 2025

Can you tell us about PICVISA, how it started, and what the organisation does?

PICVISA is a pioneering company specialising in optical sorting and artificial intelligence-based recycling solutions. Founded in Spain, we began with a vision to revolutionize material recovery using advanced imaging and AI. Our solutions help industries optimise their recycling processes, reducing waste and maximizing material reuse—a critical need in today’s circular economy.

With a strong background in waste management and industrial automation, we have expanded our expertise into textile recycling, recognising the urgent need for innovative solutions in the fashion industry.

What problem is your innovation solving and how does the technology work? 

The fashion industry generates millions of tonnes of waste each year, and one of the biggest challenges is sorting and recovering complex materials like blended textiles and shoe soles, which often contain multiple layers of rubber, foam, and fabric. Traditional recycling methods struggle with this complexity, leading to valuable materials being discarded instead of reused.

Our ECOSORT and ECOCLIP have been changing that in the post consumer garment sorting and clipping sorting sector, and now the ECOFLAKE system is doing the same in the shoe recycling sector. Using hyperspectral imaging and AI-driven optical sorting, it can detect and separate materials based on their composition—enabling efficient recovery of rubber, EVA, polyurethane, and other key components from discarded shoes. By doing so, we help brands and recyclers reintegrate these materials into new production cycles, reducing the demand for virgin resources.

What have been the biggest successes so far? 

Our textile solutions ECOSORT and ECOCLIP have been successfully implemented in textile waste plants in Spain, Turkey, Slovakia, Italy and Portugal so far. Now, one of our biggest milestones has been proving that high-quality material recovery from footwear and making it possible at an industrial scale. Through collaborations with leading sustainability initiatives, we have developed real-world applications for recovering shoe soles and turning them into valuable secondary raw materials.

Additionally, our work in textile recycling with brands and waste processors has demonstrated the potential for a closed-loop recycling system—a game-changer for the industry.

What role does collaboration play in bringing innovations to scale?

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. The challenge of circularity cannot be solved by one player alone—it requires a connected ecosystem of brands, recyclers, innovators, and policymakers.

By partnering with fashion brands, waste management companies, and research institutions, we ensure our technology is tailored to industry needs. These collaborations help us refine our sorting accuracy, optimise recovery rates, and integrate recycled materials back into new products.

How has Fashion for Good played a role in your journey so far?

Fashion for Good has provided an invaluable platform for us to connect with forward-thinking brands and sustainability leaders. Through its network, we have gained insights into the industry’s needs, validated our technology in real-world settings, and scaled our impact faster than we could have alone.

Their support in fostering innovation and accelerating sustainable solutions has pushed the industry forward—and we are proud to be part of this movement.

What’s next for you? 

We are continuing to push the boundaries of material recovery technology, with a focus on scaling our shoe sole recycling capabilities and expanding into more advanced textile sorting. Our goal is to ensure that every material has a second life—whether it’s rubber, fabric, or plastic and last but not least create an impact in how to implement ecodesign in the fashion industry goods.

Lastly, what advice would you give consumers trying to be more sustainable?

As a company that leads with the end of use of a product, we know that sustainability begins with our choices, but it doesn’t end when we are done with a product. The easier something is to recycle, the better for the planet. When buying clothes or shoes, look for single-material items. Pure cotton, wool, or polyester is much easier to process than blends. Plain fabrics are better than heavily printed ones as dyes and coatings can make recycling harder. And avoid sippers buttons and mixed materials. These make it almost impossible to recover the fabric. 

Before throwing something away, think twice. Can it be repaired, resold, recycled, and, most importantly, never toss textiles or shoes in the regular garbage? This makes waste treatment much harder for municipalities. Instead, take them to the appropriate recycling containers or collection points so they can have a second life. Every action counts.