Prato’s Cenciaioli: the sustainable rebirth of textiles between tradition and innovation
In the Prato textile district, a historic craft is regaining center stage in the era of sustainable fashion: the cenciaiolo (rag sorter). For generations, these Tuscan artisans have honed the art of textile regeneration, transforming leftovers and used garments into new raw materials for fashion. As early as the mid-1800s, Prato was recovering rags and offcuts, long before the term circular economy existed, laying the foundations for a virtuous production model based on reuse. This gave rise to the so-called cencio rigenerato (regenerated cloth), i.e., fabric made from used clothes and industrial scraps: a simple, revolutionary idea that has turned waste into value, anticipating today’s sustainability strategies by more than a century.
Prato’s circular tradition: the know-how of the cenciaioli
Prato’s textile history owes much to the cenciaioli, guardians of skills refined over decades of hands-on experience. Their name derives from the dialect word cenci (rags), and their trade consists of manually sorting large volumes of discarded textiles by material, quality, and color. With almost tailor-like sensitivity, cenciaioli identify fiber types by touch and spot defects, removing buttons, zippers, and other non-textile parts before recycling. This meticulous manual sorting, now as then, enables fiber reuse without re-dyeing, thus avoiding significant water use and chemicals.
Prato’s regeneration tradition was born of necessity (especially in the post-war period, amid shortages of virgin raw materials) and gradually became an environmental asset. It’s no coincidence that Prato is the world capital of recycled wool, a district whose fortune has long rested on the intrinsic sustainability of its production model. Before “sustainable” was even a value, textile regeneration was common sense in Prato. Between 1950 and 1980, during the boom of cencio rigenerato, the number of textile workers in the city tripled (up to 60,000), and Prato thrived economically while the textile sector elsewhere in Europe declined. Today, this craft heritage continues: elder cenciaioli remain proud witnesses, while younger generations, thanks to local initiatives, are being trained to carry the trade forward. One emblematic effort is the cenciaioli school promoted by startup Rifò, which involves young people (including migrants) in a social project that safeguards this unique textile tradition.
From rags to new yarn: the regenerated textile supply chain
Today, Prato’s regeneration pipeline is a sophisticated circular ecosystem that blends manual expertise with advanced industrial technology. The journey from cencio to finished fabric includes specialized, traceable stages:
Collection and sorting: pre-consumer textile waste (production offcuts) and post-consumer garments arrive in Prato from around the world. Through dedicated partners and consortia, more than 100,000 tons of materials are managed annually. Cenciaioli perform manual sorting, separating items by composition (wool, cotton, cashmere, etc.) and by shade. This first step is crucial: thanks to color sorting, many fibers can be reused without additional dyeing, yielding major water and chemical savings.
Tearing and fiber regeneration: selected textiles are mechanically opened. Using openers and industrial cards, garments are reduced to tufts and fiber fragments. For wool, wet tearing is often used to soften and prepare regenerated fibers while preserving their elasticity and quality. This stage may also involve carbonizing (acid treatment that removes cellulosic residues from wool) to ensure a uniform input. The result is a new regenerated fiber ready to be spun.
Carded spinning and fabric production: regenerated fibers (sometimes blended with a small percentage of virgin material to improve strength) are spun using the carded process, which suits shorter fibers. The outcome is regenerated yarn that preserves the original rag colors (e.g. mixing tufts of various blues yields a new blue yarn with no added dyes). Yarns are then woven or knitted into new fabrics; finishing follows, with increasingly low-impact processes across the district. Notably, Prato boasts Europe’s most extensive industrial wastewater recycling system: over 350 local companies use recycled water rather than potable water during dyeing and finishing.
Thanks to this well-established cycle, every meter of Prato fabric reflects a transparent supply chain built on recovery and conscious innovation. Each step is monitored and certified, ensuring consistent quality and full traceability to the end product. The Prato district has thus created a circular, integrated model, where textile waste is turned into new garments within a few kilometers. It’s now studied in academia and adopted by international brands seeking concrete ways to reduce fashion’s footprint.
Key players and innovations in Prato’s regenerated supply chain
Prato’s recycling network involves over 7,000 specialized companies, from cenciaioli cooperatives to spinners and mills, operating on long-standing sustainability principles. Many hold environmental certifications (e.g. Global Recycled Standard, Oeko-Tex, Detox by Greenpeace), underscoring responsible practices. Highlights include:
CORERtex Consortium: brings together Prato businesses active in textile reuse and recycling, covering the full chain from collection to processing. Each year, ~50,000 tons of used clothing are handled in Prato alone; 65% is recovered for a second life without impactful transformation, while 35% is recycled into new fiber. Efficient processes allow up to 96% of inputs to be valorized, avoiding landfill or incineration. The consortium is also investing in a new automated Textile Hub, co-funded by Italy’s PNRR, using NIR optical sensors to sort by color and fiber, with a planned capacity of 34,000 tons/year.
Manteco: founded in 1943 in Montemurlo (Prato), Manteco is a leader in premium fabrics and the circular wool economy. The third-generation family company has made regenerated wool (MWool) its signature, supplying luxury fabrics with near-zero impact to top global fashion houses. Manteco’s process uses exclusively color-sorted recycled fibers, no additional dyes, saving virgin wool inputs and drastically cutting water use and harmful emissions. For its 80th anniversary, Manteco even brought rag sorting to Première Vision (Paris), letting buyers and visitors experience choosing and tearing rags like true cenciaioli, a powerful celebration of Prato’s regenerative culture.
Nova Fides: a historic Prato mill (est. 1957) recognized for ethical, innovative production of regenerated fabrics. Nova Fides exemplifies how deeply rooted firms have evolved while preserving artisanal value. As comms lead Chiara Pasini notes, Nova Fides “writes the history of textile production ethically, every day” at the heart of the district. The company uses regenerated wool and cashmere yarns, combining traditional techniques (carded spinning, refined finishing) with advanced systems to minimize impact. Alongside other Prato firms, it adheres to certifications like GRS and standards such as Cardato Recycled, ensuring high recycled content.
Rifò: a Prato startup (2017) showing how a new generation of entrepreneurs is embracing cenciaioli tradition to innovate fashion. Founded by Niccolò Cipriani, Rifò makes regenerated cashmere, wool, and denim apparel, using yarns from local specialist producers. Its model is fully circular and local: production happens within 30 km via Prato workshops, and used garments are collected through dedicated points across Italy. Rifò couples technical innovation (e.g. new yarns from recycled denim) with engagement initiatives, actively involving consumers in take-back and using pre-orders to avoid overproduction. It also invests in local human capital, funding the aforementioned cenciaioli school to pass on a craft otherwise at risk of disappearing. In just a few years, Rifò has become a best-practice in circular fashion, blending local heritage with a globally relevant sustainability vision.
Conclusion: sustainability as a long-standing necessity, not a trend
The Prato textile district reminds us that sustainability in fashion is not a recent invention, but a deeply rooted industrial culture built on responsibility, skill, and long-term vision. The numbers, the know-how, and the resilience of this production system show that circularity can be both economically viable and socially transformative when it is embedded in the fabric of a territory.
For Between Research these examples are particularly meaningful. With over 25 years of experience working alongside fashion companies and professionals, we know that sustainability is not a passing trend to be adopted for communication purposes, but a structural necessity shaping the future of the industry. The Prato model proves that this awareness has existed for decades and that it is here to stay.
BETWEEN RESEARCH is an international agency based in Milan and Shanghai, with over 25 years of experience in headhunting and consultancy. Through its BETWEEN CONSCIOUS PROGRAM, with expert interviews, and in-depth analyses it promotes sustainability and positive change in fashion. We hope these contents will inspire you as they inspired us.
