Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Projektansicht

D.N.A.

A carpet in its second life

In the research project Texcircle, PHEN:X was created—a carpet made from recycled and new virgin wool, exemplifying the possibilities of circular material cycles.
PHEN:X represents a new approach to resource management. The unique material blend gives the carpet a distinctive texture and character, while the use of recycled fibers reduces the need for new raw materials. From a material whose life cycle seemed to have already ended, a new product with its own identity is created.
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Detail der Teppichoberfläche

FROM FIBER TO THE FUTURE

Sustainability does not begin only with the use of a product. It starts with the question of which materials we use and how we handle existing resources. With the research project Texcircle and the carpet PHEN:X, Ruckstuhl explored the potential of high-quality recycled virgin wool for carpet production.

Together with the Product & Textile research group at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Ruckstuhl developed new approaches for recycling old textiles. The focus was on discarded winter coats with a high wool content, whose fibers were recovered and processed into a new carpet yarn. The goal of the project was to develop high-quality applications for post-consumer textiles and to rethink textile cycles.

For the carpet prototype, the wool fibers from used coats were processed and spun together with other recycled fibers and new, undyed virgin wool into a yarn. The material developed from this was successfully processed into a carpet by Ruckstuhl, confirming that recycled fibers can also be used in the premium segment.

Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Detail der Teppichoberfläche
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – RobotLoom-Entwurfsdatei

Ruckstuhl took the next step in 2025 with the collection by Trix & Robert Haussmann. For the first time, it was possible to industrially produce and introduce to the market a carpet containing 60 percent recycled virgin wool. The iconic designs STRIPES, DÉGRADÉ, ATLANTIS, and SPACEGRID combine design heritage with new material cycles and the latest robot tufting technology. What began as a research project with PHEN:X and Texcircle thus became a market-ready product—and further proof that innovation and sustainability are not opposites but mutually drive each other forward.

Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Detail des Teppichs mit Produktlabel

Texcircle was developed by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts together with industry partners such as Ruckstuhl, Texaid, Rieter, and other companies, and was funded by Innosuisse. The project pursued the vision of a circular textile economy in which valuable raw materials are kept in circulation for as long as possible.

PHEN:X exemplifies Ruckstuhl's commitment to viewing innovation not only as technological development but as a responsible approach to materials. The most valuable resource is often the one that already exists.

Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Präsentation bei Neue Räume
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Fertigung auf dem RobotLoom
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Detail der Teppichoberfläche
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Teppichdetail mit Recyclinggarn
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – RobotLoom-Entwurfsdatei
Ruckstuhl Recyclingwollteppich – Forschungsprojekt PHENX von HSLU TEXCIRCLE – Präsentation am Messestand
2022
D.N.A. Innovation Information page
← Back to the INSPIRATION homepage