CO-LAB
EMERGING COLLABORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR REMADE SYSTEMS
Co-Lab develops infrastructure once remade viability has been proven.
Between resale and recycling, there are very few structures that allow textiles to stay in use — especially when materials are irregular, mixed, or already worn. As a result, millions of tonnes of surplus, returns, and production offcuts lose value far too early, even when they consist of high-quality natural fibres.
Today, this gap is mostly addressed through two extremes:
small-scale, manual upcycling on one side, and recycling technologies on the other.
What is largely missing are shared, repeatable infrastructures that enable remade production beyond individual craftsmanship — while preserving material quality and meeting regulatory, certification, and production requirements.
CO-LAB was initiated to address exactly this gap.
CURRENT STATUS
Co-Lab is in development.
Infrastructure is tested through clearly defined pilot products to evaluate:
material intake, transformation logic, production integration, and documentation readiness.
No large-scale promises.
Step-by-step validation.
The early development of Co-Lab is supported by the KU-Match program (Kreatives Unternehmertum).
OBJECTIVE
To build repeatable, integrable structures
that enable remade production within existing manufacturing environments.
Not as isolated projects.
But as system-compatible infrastructure.