Plaza Emilio Sala, 1st floor, 2nd unit,
CEEI Building, modules 4 and 5, Alcoy 03801, Alicante
© 2025 Copyright 2025 - Care Applications | Designed by Anphis Servicios de Ingeniería y Tecnología Aplicada, S.L. All rights reserved.
© 2025 Copyright 2025 - Care Applications | Designed by Anphis Servicios de Ingeniería y Tecnología Aplicada, S.L. All rights reserved.
Proyectos
Re-FREAM Project
Care Applications® participates as a partner in the European project Re-FREAM, an innovative initiative funded by the H2020 (ICT) program that connects fashion, technology, and sustainability.
The project promotes collaboration between artists, designers, and technologists to explore new ways of creating fashion through advanced manufacturing and textile finishing technologies. Its aim is to open new frontiers in the design and production of garments, demonstrating how the union between art and science can transform the textile industry towards more innovative and sustainable models.
🔗 More information on the Re-FREAM website
🔗 See some of our developments with award-winning artists from the second call
Re-FREAM is structured around six major challenges:
The project aims to:
With a duration of 36 months and the participation of multiple European partners, Re-FREAM constitutes a living innovation lab that brings together creativity, science, and sustainability.
During the project, Care Applications® collaborated on four pioneering initiatives, providing its ECOFinish® micronebulization technology to develop sustainable dyeing and finishing solutions:
Re-FREAM demonstrates how Care Applications® technology can be integrated into creative and international collaborative processes, driving a more innovative, sustainable, and responsible European fashion industry.
Proyectos
ELIIT Project – NANOCORK®
Every time a bottle of wine is opened, a small residue remains: the cork stopper. For years, this material had no clear purpose beyond limited recycling. Today, thanks to the NANOCORK® project, that same cork can be transformed into part of sustainable textiles—an alternative to leather with new design possibilities for garments, footwear, and accessories.
This project is the result of the collaboration between the design company Lebiu SRL (Sardinia) and the ecological textile finishing team at Care Applications (Alcoy, Alicante), within the European initiative ELIIT Project, led by AITEX and funded by the EU COSME program for SMEs.
The textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world, consuming large amounts of water, chemicals, and energy. The goal of NANOCORK® was clear: to offer environmentally friendly garments with enhanced properties and finishes, leveraging the unique characteristics of cork.
Thanks to ECOFinish® atomization technology, cork waste can be applied to textiles without immersion baths and with minimal chemical and energy consumption, achieving average liquor ratios of 1:1. The result is an innovative textile finish, such as bio-denim, combining style, sustainability, and quality.
The key to NANOCORK® lies in the ability to apply a natural finish through controlled atomization. ECOFinish® turns water and finishing agents into a fine mist that spreads evenly across the material, ensuring reproducibility and precision.
This process:
• Drastically reduces water and energy consumption.
• Minimizes chemical usage.
• Generates no waste.
• Adapts to existing machinery.
There is currently no equivalent process available on the market.
NANOCORK® delivers not only environmental benefits, but also social and economic advantages:
• It offers a vegan and biodegradable alternative to leather.
• It responds to the demand of conscious consumers who value both the product and how it is made.
• It opens new revenue opportunities for the cork industry, promoting a circular economy.
• It contributes to local employment and supports population retention in rural areas.
The project was made possible thanks to the support of the COSME program (Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs) of the European Union, through the ELIIT initiative (European Light Industries Innovation and Technology).
This support, which included €70,000 in funding and specialized technical assistance, enabled:
• Care Applications to optimize ECOFinish® for cork application.
• Lebiu to install a prototype in its laboratory in Sardinia.
• Progress toward the commercialization of bio-denim and other Nanocork® fabrics.
NANOCORK® is a real example of how technological innovation and EU support are driving the transition toward circular, ethical, and sustainable fashion.
From the bottle to the runway, cork finds a new life in textiles.
🔗 More information available on the European Commission website.
Proyectos
GALACTICA Project – MergeProDye
Care Applications® participa en el proyecto MergeProDye, seleccionado en la segunda convocatoria de la iniciativa GALACTICA, financiada por H2020.
MergeProDye es un proyecto innovador que busca revolucionar los procesos de tintura y acabado textil, combinando eficiencia, sostenibilidad y adaptabilidad a la industria existente.
🔗 Más información y vídeo del proyecto
Descripción del proyecto
El proceso de ennoblecimiento textil, especialmente la tintura, es uno de los más contaminantes del sector. Care Applications centra su innovación en procesos de tintura y acabado sobre prenda, buscando reducir el consumo de agua, energía y químicos.
A partir de las tecnologías ECOFinish® y CLOSE-N®, MergeProDye desarrollará un nuevo accesorio que puede instalarse en máquinas de lavar y tintar prendas ya existentes, ofreciendo ventajas inmediatas sin necesidad de reemplazar la maquinaria.
El equipo ECOFinish® & CLOSE-N® permitirá:
Impacto esperado
El Proceso convencional en baño con una alta relación de baño L:R 1:10 frente al proceso MergeProDye con una baja relación de baño de media L:R 1:1, reduciendo la huella hídrica y de Carbono.
El Dispositivo MergeProDye fue desarrollado y validado durante el proyecto, siendo una innovación más allá del estado actual de la técnica. Este sistema permitirá al sector textil avanzar hacia procesos más sostenibles y competitivos, ofreciendo soluciones de tintura controladas, reproducibles y adaptables a la maquinaria existente, reduciendo así la huella ambiental sin comprometer la calidad del producto final.
Proyectos
IN TRANSIT Project – BIORE-DYE
Innovación biotecnológica para una moda más sostenible
De entre las 72 propuestas presentadas a la convocatoria del proyecto IN TRANSIT, financiado por la Comisión Europea a través de H2020, nos enorgullece anunciar que BIORE-DYE ha sido seleccionado como uno de los proyectos ganadores.
Durante 4 meses, Care Applications® (España) y Vienna Textile Lab (Austria) unieron su experiencia para llevar a cabo este innovador reto, que combina biotecnología y procesos textiles avanzados con el fin de transformar la forma en que teñimos las prendas.
El reto: repensar el teñido textil
El objetivo principal de BIORE-DYE es doble:
La singularidad de este proyecto radica en la combinación inédita de estas dos tecnologías. Por separado, tanto los tintes microbianos como la tecnología de atomización ya representan avances notables para el sector textil. Sin embargo, al integrarlas, se logra un sistema revolucionario con ahorros estimados de hasta un 90% en agua, 85% en energía y 90% en aguas residuales frente a los métodos convencionales.
La innovación tecnológica
El proceso propuesto en BIORE-DYE se basa en dos pilares:
Lo innovador es que los pigmentos biológicos se aplican directamente en la máquina, sin baños de inmersión, lo que asegura también un entorno de trabajo más seguro y limpio.
Un desafío para el sector textil
Teñir con pigmentos microbianos presenta retos técnicos significativos: la solubilidad, viscosidad y comportamiento general de estos colorantes difiere de los tintes sintéticos convencionales. Adaptar las recetas, temperaturas y parámetros de proceso será clave para garantizar calidad y estabilidad industrial.
El proyecto se desarrollará partiendo de un TRL 6 (tecnología demostrada en entorno real) con el objetivo de alcanzar TRL 8 (sistema completo y validado) al finalizar, tras las pruebas de calidad en diferentes tejidos.
Impacto ambiental y social
El sector textil se enfrenta a crecientes restricciones regulatorias y a una presión social por ofrecer productos más sostenibles. BIORE-DYE responde directamente a estas necesidades:
El papel de IN TRANSIT y la Comisión Europea
El apoyo de IN TRANSIT y la financiación de H2020 son fundamentales para impulsar la viabilidad de esta propuesta, que conecta la industria textil con la biotecnología moderna.
Gracias a este respaldo, se están creando sinergias entre VTL y Care Applications®, potenciando su escalabilidad, ampliando la oferta de productos y contribuyendo al desarrollo de nuevos modelos de negocio circulares y sostenibles en Europa.
Conclusión
BIORE-DYE demuestra que la combinación de biotecnología y atomización textil puede redefinir la industria del teñido, ofreciendo una alternativa sostenible, escalable y de calidad a los procesos sintéticos actuales.
Se trata de un paso decisivo hacia una moda innovadora, circular y respetuosa con el planeta, alineada con las nuevas regulaciones europeas y las expectativas de los consumidores del futuro.
Proyectos
UP2CIRC – H SAVES H2O
The project H SAVES H2O – Innovative Solution for Advancing Viable and Efficient Water Use has been selected to receive funding under the European initiative Up2Circ 2025 – Large Scale Projects, a program that promotes the transition towards circular models in strategic sectors.
The textile industry faces a critical challenge: the high conductivity of wastewater generated during dyeing processes such as JET rope, yarn winding, or garment dyeing.
This environmental impact is mainly due to the use of saline auxiliaries in dyes such as vat, sulfur, and indigo.
The magnitude of the problem is significant:
A typical dyeing plant can produce more than 135 million liters of wastewater annually with high conductivity, leading to both environmental and economic consequences.
The project aims to drastically reduce the generation of high-conductivity wastewater through two main lines of action:
With this approach, H SAVES H2O seeks to accelerate the transformation toward a circular, efficient textile industry with a reduced water footprint.
At Care Applications, sustainability and technological innovation are at the heart of every project. H SAVES H2O builds on previous developments such as CLOSE-N, which has already demonstrated the ability to significantly reduce the use of chemicals in dyeing processes.
With this new initiative, we take another step toward a sustainable and internationally competitive textile model, aligned with the European Union’s goals in circular economy and green transition.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the EU nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Proyectos
S4Fashion Project – Sustainable Solutions for Fashion
Care Applications® participa en el proyecto S4Fashion, una iniciativa europea cofinanciada por el programa COSME, que apoya a pequeñas y medianas empresas en el desarrollo de productos, servicios y modelos de negocio circulares y sostenibles para la industria de la moda. La misión del proyecto es apoyar, conectar y empoderar a asociaciones transnacionales que colaboran en la creación de soluciones innovadoras. Durante sus tres años de duración, S4Fashion generará nuevos conocimientos basados en evidencia sobre sostenibilidad y economía circular, compartiéndolos con todo el ecosistema europeo de la moda.
Colaboración con Jeff Montes
Dentro de S4Fashion, Care Applications® colaboró con el diseñador Jeff Montes en un piloto experimental que combina diseño zero-waste, materiales reciclados y procesos de teñido sostenible. El trabajo se basó en tres pilares principales:
Diseño circular: uso de velas recicladas, plásticos marinos (Sea Plastic Waste), monofilamento y multifilamento RPET, tejidos locales y patrones modulares digitales que minimizan residuos.
Producción local y artesanal: realizada entre los Países Bajos y España, combinando patronaje innovador, colaboración con talleres textiles (Joyper) y confección manual de las prendas.
Proyectos
Fashion For Change – Transforming fashion towards sustainability
Fashion For Change is a European initiative funded by the European Union through the COSME programme, aimed at improving the competitiveness and environmental performance of SMEs, designers, and fashion startups in Europe.
The project provides the sector with a virtual knowledge library, an accelerator programme for sustainable fashion entrepreneurs, and a circular economy self-assessment tool designed to guide companies in their transition towards more sustainable and digital models.
Within the framework of Fashion For Change, Care Applications® collaborated with designer Fabio Molinas (Lebiu SRL) to scale up the Nanocork® project, a sustainable and vegan alternative to leather and conventional textile finishes.
The challenge was to reuse cork waste from the wine industry to create new fabrics and textile finishes that respect the environment. Thanks to ECOFinish® atomization technology, developed by Care Applications, it was possible to apply cork without immersion in washing machines, drastically reducing water, chemical, and energy consumption—without generating waste.
During the project, several industrial tests were carried out with clients already using ECOFinish® technology, including its upgrade for Nanocork® applications in Spain and Turkey, with successful results.
This finish, known as bio-denim or Nanocork®, opens the door to a new category of circular, biodegradable materials with high aesthetic performance for fashion, footwear, and accessories.
Fashion For Change demonstrates how collaboration between designers, startups, and technology providers such as Care Applications® drives a greener, more competitive, and responsible European fashion industry.
