At the beginning of Nile Textile it was not the fabric, but a question: How can work be meaningful? For founders and CEO Dr. Mikuláš Hurta was the answer away from his first career in aviation. In 2018 he founded his company as an expression of a clear conviction: textiles should not end as a waste. Only six years later, Nil textile has developed into a global partner for more than 1,000 brands and offers fully recyclable materials and a closed loop infrastructure that is designed for a new regulatory age.
In conversation with fashionunited, Hurta reflects on the company’s milestones, its scientifically sound innovations and the urgent need to change systemic change in the fashion industry. A topic keeps appearing: the consequence, clarity and cooperation are the cornerstones of the mission of Nil Textile, to prove that the circular economy can be scalable.
Jump into the textile industry
Hurta’s introduction to the fashion industry was carried out without a design or family tradition. Instead, he started with a notebook full of questions. In cooperation with Czech universities, including Liberec for textile innovations and BRNO for molecular recycling, he asked scientists: inside about fiber chemistry, recycling technologies and inefficiencies in the supply chain. “I asked ‘stupid’ questions,” he recalls, “but they led to the knowledge we needed.”
These insights gave the impetus for a clear solution: the circular economy. Textiles can be designed for fiber for fiber with a view of their end of life. In the first few years, NIL devoted to the development of recyclable fabrics and the validation of the molecular recycling in the laboratory. In 2021 the company launched its first collection. Originally to consumers: directed on the inside, the project quickly raised the attention of brands that wondered whether these fabrics were scalable. Do you meet the regulations? Due to the high demand, there was a change to business-to-business: Instead of selling the products directly, NIL Textile now delivers recyclable materials directly to labels.
Materials that demand more
Strategic investments followed soon. Thanks to the support of Danielson, the largest textile decoration company in Central Europe, Nil was able to open textile production facilities in Europe and later expanded to Asia with branches in India and Bangladesh. Today, the company operates more than 1,000 brands worldwide, from agile, sustainable start-ups to established global names.
Nevertheless, the scaling has not affected the Nile textile philosophy. Every fabric, whether Nilcott®, a ring -spun recycled cotton mixture, or CIRPAD®, a polyamide from car tires, is developed according to the principles of ecodesign. “True circular economy is not just a recycling cycle,” emphasizes Hurta. “It’s about keeping materials on the market again and again.”
Close circuit
In addition to the materials, the company has built up a corresponding infrastructure. A global network of collection points enables consumers: inside to return clothing at the end of their lifespan. Brands can integrate their shops or excess stocks into this system. Detailed textiles are recycled except for the fiber and reintroduced into the supply chain, which keeps resources in the circulation instead of landing on landfills or in incineration plants.
Hurta compares his role with that of a “circus director”: he has to coordinate many moving parts while the markets press for sustainability. “There is pressure on low prices. Sustainability moves back in the list of priorities,” he observes. His mission is to keep the course. Nil textiles is already prepared with the EU guidelines for expanded manufacturer’s responsibility, ecodesign and the upcoming digital product pass. QR codes and microchips embedded in clothing ensure traceability. “The legislation is always behind what we do,” he says. “For us this is not a challenge, but a confirmation.”
Create clarity and sharpen the focus
Despite the progress, many brands still fight with blurred concepts. The question arises whether bamboo is always better. And what about recycled polyester? What is considered “organic”? Hurta believes that the industry needs clarity: “We know what doesn’t work, but we have not agreed on what we should do instead. Without a focus, it will be chaotic. We have to choose concrete ways and build the infrastructure around it.” A systematic collection of textile waste is still missing, he adds. Simple return options for consumers: inside and homogeneous waste streams are the key to turning the circular economy into a mainstream.
Effect on a large scale
In the near future, Nil Textile wants to automate its production processes in order to achieve a competitive price in Europe. The goal is to produce completely circular materials locally and significantly reduce the CO2 and water footprint. In the long term, Hurta sees the company as a front-end partner for brands and as a backend-F & e-center that promotes textile science. His advice for everyone who is considering a similar path is clear: “Ask the ‘stupid’ questions.
