Trending Now - Ai-powered Sorting Revolutionizes Textile Recycling in China
WHO:
ABC News - DataBeyond is a Chinese AI recycling company founded in 2018.
ABC News - Mo Zhuoya is the CEO of DataBeyond.
ABC News - Cui Peng is the Sales Manager at Shanhesheng Environmental Technology Ltd.
ABC News - Li Bin is the Sales Director at Shanhesheng Environmental Technology Ltd.
WHAT:
ABC News - The Fastsort-Textile machine sorts through 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of clothes in two to three minutes, compared to around four hours for one worker to do the same task.
ABC News - The machine can process two tons of textiles per hour, while two people would need two days to achieve the same output at reduced accuracy.
ABC News - Previously, up to 50% of processed textiles were deemed unrecyclable; this number has decreased to 30% with the Fastsort-Textile machine, according to Sales Director Li Bin.
ABC News - The Fastsort-Textile machine sorts clothes by composition using artificial intelligence.
ABC News - The machine can process two tons of textiles per hour.
ABC News - Fastsort-Textile sorts through 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of clothes in two to three minutes.
ABC News - Previously, up to 50% of processed textiles were deemed unrecyclable; this number has decreased to 30% with the Fastsort-Textile machine.
ABC News - The machine was named one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2025.
WHERE:
ABC News - The Fastsort-Textile machine is located at Shanhesheng Environmental Technology Ltd. in Zhangjiagang, China.
ABC News - Zhangjiagang is a small city on China's east coast.
WHEN:
ABC News - The Fastsort-Textile machine was installed in 2025.
ABC News - The report from Circle Economy states that synthetic textiles account for around 70% of global textile production as of 2025.
WHY:
ABC News - The Fastsort-Textile machine aims to reduce the amount of textile waste that is incinerated and improve recycling efficiency, as stated by CEO Mo Zhuoya.
ABC News - The use of the Fastsort-Textile machine aims to reduce the amount of textile waste that is incinerated and improve recycling efficiency.
ABC News - Synthetic textiles are derived from fossil fuels and are a low-cost option for fashion production, contributing to global textile pollution.
HOW:
ABC News - The AI scanner measures 5-by-2 meters (16-by-6.5 feet) and works with a series of conveyor belts, emitting a sharp hiss while reading the textiles’ composition.
ABC News - The Fastsort-Textile machine uses an AI scanner to read the composition of textiles and sorts them by fibers.
ABC News - The AI scanner measures 5-by-2 meters (16-by-6.5 feet) and works with a series of conveyor belts.
ABC News - The scanning process takes less than one second to accurately read one item’s material composition.
(UPDATED April 2, 2026 09:17 UTC)
A new machine called the Fastsort-Textile is revolutionizing the textile recycling industry by sorting through 100 kilograms of clothes in just two to three minutes, a task that would take a worker around four hours. This advanced technology can process two tons of textiles per hour, significantly reducing the amount of unrecyclable materials from 50% to 30%, according to Sales Director Li Bin. The machine uses an AI scanner that measures 5-by-2 meters and operates with conveyor belts, efficiently reading the composition of textiles while emitting a sharp hiss.
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(UPDATED April 2, 2026 05:31 UTC)
DataBeyond, a Chinese AI recycling company founded in 2018 and led by CEO Mo Zhuoya, has developed the Fastsort-Textile machine, which is now operational at Shanhesheng Environmental Technology Ltd. in Zhangjiagang, China. This innovative machine can process two tons of textiles per hour, sorting through 100 kilograms of clothes in just two to three minutes, and has improved recycling efficiency by reducing the percentage of unrecyclable textiles from 50% to 30%. Recognized as one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of 2025, the Fastsort-Textile uses an AI scanner to quickly identify and sort materials, addressing the growing issue of textile waste and pollution from synthetic fabrics.