This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano
California-based Refiberd, founded in 2020 by Sarika Bajaj and Tushita Gupta, has developed a textile composition identification technology that merges high-definition hyperspectral imaging and artificial intelligence. Already a winner of the eBay Circular Fashion Fund and the Global Fashion Summit 2025 Trailblazer programme, the company uses this tool to optimise the textile recycling chain, to improve the authentication of garments for resale and to ensure better traceability of materials.
The patent-pending technology allows to place fabrics under a hyperspectral camera that detects how light interacts with materials: different materials absorb and reflect light differently according to their chemical composition, allowing them to be identified. The data collected on fabrics are combined into a hyperspectral cube and processed through a machine learning model, which produces a prediction of the fabric's material.
Refiberd's artificial intelligence is powered by a proprietary dataset of thousands of customised textile samples. It processes high-resolution hyperspectral imaging data to identify all the different fibres present in the waste, including mixed and layered fibres. Besides revealing the composition of the fibres, the technology also detects the presence of contaminants in textile waste.
The highly accurate material detection system developed by the company contrasts with the chemical analysis used today, which is often slow and destructive for the material. At the same time, according to the founders, digital product passports and fibre tracking technologies provide information that is currently incomplete.
Website:
Name:
Refiberd
Sector:
Fashion
Plus:
Material identification and contaminant detection
Features:
Advanced textile material detection using AI-based hyperspectral imaging
Cover: Sarika Bajaj and Tushita Gupta