Smart Automation Supports the Shift Toward Circular Fashion
At the recent Texprocess exhibition in Frankfurt, Swedish textile technology company Eton Systems introduced an advanced AI-powered sorting solution designed to transform the growing resale and reuse textile market.
The new automated UPS module, known as aUPS, was showcased by Eton Systems, a member of the Swedish textile machinery association TMAS. Built on the company’s established UPS transport system and powered by its ETONingenious Factory 4.0 software platform, the innovation uses artificial intelligence to rapidly sort and evaluate used garments for resale.
The technology represents a major step forward for the circular fashion industry, where increasing textile volumes and rising demand for second-hand apparel are driving the need for automated solutions.
AI Technology Automates Garment Grading and Pricing
The aUPS system is designed to instantly analyze and classify garments based on several criteria, including color, size, style, and, where possible, manufacturer identification. The system can also detect damage or wear on garments, recommend potential repairs, and estimate a resale value using real-time market data.
“The collected information is fed into a calculation model that, based on market data, makes suggestions for a sales price,” explained Eton Sales and Marketing Manager Sven Sørbo during the exhibition in Frankfurt.
In addition to grading and pricing, the system automatically photographs garments for digital marketing purposes before transporting them to warehouse storage for future resale.
This level of automation could significantly improve operational efficiency for resale businesses handling large volumes of used textiles.
Retail Brands Begin Testing the Technology
The potential of Eton’s AI-driven sorting technology has already attracted interest from several major retail brands, which are currently testing the system in trial programs.
The aUPS module was developed as part of the Microfactories System Innovation project, a collaborative initiative involving the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås, the Automation Region innovation cluster at Mälardalen University, and the iHubs Sweden collaboration platform.
The project initially focused on localized, small-scale textile production systems but has now expanded toward solutions supporting the rapidly growing textile reuse economy.
Rising Demand for Textile Reuse Solutions
Industry experts believe the resale sector is entering a phase of rapid expansion, particularly as sustainability regulations and consumer awareness continue to grow.
“The online resale segment alone is huge and forecast to double over the next five years and volumes are now so large that handling has to be automated for it to work,” said Ellen Flybäck, consultant affiliated with the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås.
She added that new European Union regulations requiring separate textile collection are accelerating demand for efficient sorting and reuse systems. At the same time, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of textile waste and fast fashion.
Supporting a More Circular Textile Industry
Eton Systems says collaboration with universities and innovation partners has played an important role in developing forward-looking solutions for the textile sector.
“Collaboration with universities and innovation environments helps us to be at the forefront,” said Eton Sales and Marketing Director Jan Johansson. “But above all, it is about contributing to a more circular industry, where materials can be used for longer and in a smarter way.”
The development reflects a broader trend within the textile machinery industry, where companies are increasingly investing in technologies that support resource efficiency, automation, reuse, and sustainable manufacturing.
TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler noted that Eton’s latest innovation demonstrates how Swedish textile technology is evolving beyond traditional production efficiency toward entirely new business models driven by reuse, automation, and artificial intelligence.
As the global resale market continues expanding, AI-powered automation systems like Eton’s aUPS could play a critical role in helping the fashion industry reduce waste, improve textile recovery, and support the transition toward a more sustainable and circular economy.