FibreEye - Inline testing of processing aid additives in recycled leather materials

Gen Phoenix is installing inline sensors to catch contaminants in recycled leather during production, not after. The problem is that recycled leather contains processing aids and additives that can vary batch to batch, creating quality issues that current testing catches too late—after material is already made. This project with the National Physical Laboratory aims to build an analytical system that checks the material in real time as it moves through the production line, allowing operators to adjust immediately rather than scrapping faulty batches. If the system works, Gen Phoenix could scale up its production of recycled leather—currently regenerating up to 6 million m² of low-carbon material annually—without compromising consistency. That matters for manufacturers like Dr Martens, Coach, and Southwest Airlines, who need reliable supply chains for sustainable materials. For the broader manufacturing sector, inline testing of additives could reduce waste and energy use in other recycling processes too. This is applied industrial research with a clear commercial target: making recycled materials as predictable as virgin ones.