2026.04.14
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Goldwin Play Earth Fund PORTFOLIO INTRODUCTION
Vol.8Resortecs
Rethinking assembly from the start.
ー Please introduce yourself. Could you share your background?
Cédric:I'm Cédric Vanhoeck, co-founder and CEO of Resortecs. After completing my studies in industrial design engineering (TU Delft) and brand management (Domus Academy), my subsequent program at the Antwerp Fashion Academy was where the culmination of this background revealed a critical issue: the disconnect between garment design and end-of-life recycling. Fashion products are too complex, with multiple materials joined in ways that hinder separation and recycling.
ー What did that realisation lead to?
Cédric:To achieve true circularity, we realised we had to rethink assembly from the start. This led to Resortecs, founded with the ambitious goal of developing technology to make garments easier to disassemble, allowing materials to be reused multiple times.
ー Could you tell us about the business and mission of Resortecs?
Cédric:Resortecs develops active-disassembly technologies for textiles, promoting efficient reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. Our mission is to shift the fashion and textile industries from a linear "made, used, discarded" model to a circular one where materials remain valuable. Most importantly, we achieve this while minimizing the impacts and constraints of eco-design on the cost, creative freedom, durability, and functionality of textile products.
ー What meaning is embodied in the company name Resortecs?
Cédric:The name "Resortecs" stands for REcycling, SORting, and TEChnologieS, representing our core focus: enabling easy product separation for material recovery and reuse. Our approach is summarised by: Design to evolve. Build to disassemble. Designing products with their future in mind unlocks more possibilities over time.
The thread that changes everything.
ー Please tell us about the characteristics of Resortecs' thread.
Cédric:Our core innovation is a heat-activated sewing thread. It functions like a standard industrial thread in production and use, being strong and durable. However, at a controlled temperature, the thread dissolves, allowing quick, clean disassembly for repair, remanufacturing, debranding, or recycling.
ー What does that make possible in practice?
Cédric:This technology enables faster, purer textile recycling, recovery of valuable components (zippers, buttons, insulation), product transformation, and repurposing of inventory, turning products into new value instead of destroying them.
ー How does Resortecs' world-first thermal disassembly and sorting system work?
Cédric:To complement our dissolvable threads Smart Stitch™, we developed a thermal disassembly system for large-scale garment processing, Smart Disassembly™. Garments sewn with Resortecs threads are placed in a controlled thermal environment. When the specific temperature is reached, the threads dissolve, automatically separating the product into its main components. The separated fabrics, trims, and accessories can then be efficiently sorted for the most appropriate reuse or recycling pathway, significantly improving material recovery yields and reducing recycling cost and complexity.
ー Were there any memorable moments leading up to the launch?
Cédric:The biggest obstacle to textile recycling is product assembly, not the fibre itself. A pivotal moment was the first successful demonstration: seeing a fully assembled garment cleanly disassemble by activating the thread confirmed the concept's potential to revolutionise textile processing. The start of brand testing and commercialising products made with Smart Stitch™ was also crucial, signalling the industry's readiness for circular design solutions.
Changing the system from Brussels.
ー What challenges do you aim to solve with Resortecs' technologies? What impact do you expect on society and the environment?
Cédric:The textile industry's major challenge is designing products without considering end-of-life, resulting in massive waste and loss of valuable materials globally. Resortecs aims to change this by enabling easy garment disassembly, allowing for more efficient repair, transformation, reuse, or recycling.
ー In which fields is Resortecs' technology most used? Could you share examples of collaborations or PoCs?
Cédric:Our technologies are currently being explored primarily in the fashion and textile industries. We collaborate with fashion brands, garment manufacturers, recyclers, and textile innovators to test different circular applications: from product recycling to unsold inventory management and component recovery.
ー Have those collaborations shown results so far?
Cédric:everal brands and partners have already conducted proof-of-concept projects to evaluate how design for disassembly can improve recycling efficiency and enable new circular strategies. These collaborations are essential because circularity is not achieved by one actor alone; it requires cooperation across the entire value chain.
ー What is the atmosphere like at the Resortecs office, and how does being based in Brussels shape the company?
Cédric:Resortecs is a multidisciplinary international team of about twelve engineers, designers, and business developers. Our collaborative, mission-driven culture thrives at the intersection of engineering, design, and sales. Being in Brussels offers a unique environment, combining innovation, policymaking, and international collaboration, ideal for a company driving systemic change in industries like textiles.
ー What new projects are you currently working on?
Cédric: Today, we are expanding our ecosystem beyond thread technology, partnering across the textile value chain, from material producers to recyclers, to implement design for disassembly at scale. We are exploring new product categories, including technical textiles and other sectors, where disassembly can enable material recovery and circular use; as well as new active disassembly solutions on other assembly techniques used in the making of textile products.
ー EU environmental regulations are highly advanced. As you are based in Brussels, what are your thoughts?
Cédric:Europe is a global leader in circular economy policy, with regulations like the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) driving industries to improve durability, repairability, and recyclability. This trend is positive for us, as it validates our focus on designing evolving products, making it both an environmental imperative and a strategic business advantage.
ー What role specifically does the ESPR play in that transition?
Cédric:The escalating challenge of textile waste requires a scaleable management strategy to transform this liability into an asset. Optimizing textile recycling and reuse is not just an environmental imperative; it is a critical pathway toward greater resource and energy independence, and a driver for reindustrializing the continent.
ー How does that translate into concrete change for the industry?
Cédric:The ESPR is a powerful catalyst in this transition, designed both to stimulate market demand for high-quality recycled materials and to mandate that new products are inherently easier to recycle. By accelerating the implementation of design-for-disassembly and closing material loops, the ESPR legal framework supports the creation of a robust, circular economy that is resilient, less reliant on virgin resources, and establishes a new, competitive industrial base that is aligned with our values.
Resource independence starts here.
ー How do you strategically view Japan and the Asian region?
Cédric:Japan presents a compelling strategic case for prioritizing textile waste management and resource reuse. As a densely populated island nation heavily reliant on imported raw materials, maximizing the value of domestic waste streams is crucial for resource independence and economic stability.
ー What are the specific challenges you see in Japan?
Cédric:While Japan already boasts an efficient waste collection system, the massive volume of textile waste currently strains incineration capacity and landfill space. Furthermore, Japanese consumers are savvy and actively seek out new, fresh, and innovative solutions that resonate with their cultural values and interests, creating a receptive market for circular textile products.
ー And the opportunities?
Cédric:By leveraging its technological prowess and culture of quality, Japan is uniquely positioned to become a leading circular economy hub in the Asia-Pacific region, demonstrating how to close the loop on critical materials. Transforming this liability into a valuable resource asset will reduce reliance on imports, drive innovation in high-quality recycling and remanufacturing, and establish a new competitive industrial base aligned with sustainable global practices.
A shared vision with Goldwin.
ー Please tell us how the investment from Goldwin came about.
Cédric:The investment team first connected with us in 2023, seeking systemic solutions to accelerate circularity, demonstrating a strong alignment in values and vision. We began with a pilot project to assess the ecodesign and recyclability of various garments and facilitate the implementation of our solution.
ー How did the relationship develop from there?
Cédric:Following several in-person meetings, our discussions naturally evolved into an investment opportunity. Our relationship has since strengthened, built on mutual expertise. Even before the investment closed, we benefited immensely from the Goldwin team's support, including valuable network introductions, for which we are very grateful.
ー What makes the partnership mutually beneficial?
Cédric:The potential implementation of Smart Stitch™ is mutually beneficial: it optimizes Goldwin's supply chain, simultaneously allows to valorize the added value generated by the portfolio company and furthermore valorize the shared commitment to ecodesign and design for recycling.
ー What kinds of companies or organisations would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Cédric:We seek collaborations across the entire value chain: brands, designers, textile manufacturers, recyclers, material innovators, and research institutions. Circularity is a systemic challenge; the most impactful solutions stem from connecting design, production, and end-of-life management through collaboration. We see a significant opportunity in optimizing the fashion value chain to improve waste management, addressing everything from production processes to post-consumer waste management.
ー What kind of collaboration do you think Resortecs and Goldwin can create together?
Cédric:Goldwin's product expertise and environmental commitment, combined with Resortecs' design-for-disassembly technology, will allow us to create products that retain value throughout their lifecycle. We will explore new circular product concepts, design strategies, and material recovery systems. The potential implementation of Smart Stitch™ is mutually beneficial: it optimizes Goldwin's supply chain and simultaneously allows it to valorize the added value generated by its company portfolio. The collaboration allows to furthermore valorize the shared commitment to ecodesign and design for recycling.
ー Do you have any message for Goldwin?
Cédric:Our collaboration's most exciting aspect is the chance to experiment. Circular innovation demands testing new ideas and redesigning products. Partners like Goldwin, who embrace new approaches, are vital for accelerating this transition.
ー Lastly, could you share Resortecs' vision for the future?
Cédric:Our vision is a world where textiles are designed to evolve, not become waste. The future of fashion means products can be repaired, transformed, and recycled into new materials with minimal loss. Designing with the next life in mind dramatically reduces waste while unlocking new creativity and value. That is the future Resortecs is building.
Text_Keisuke Kimura
Edit_Shuhei Wakiyama（HOUYHNHNM / Rhino inc.）