Prato has switched on what its developer calls one of Europe’s most advanced plants for recovering textile waste. The Textile Hub opened on July 22, 2026, on the site of a former municipal water treatment plant, built by the company Plures for 31.3 million euro, including 900,000 euro from PNRR, the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund for Italy, and an 850,000 euro tax credit under Industria 4.0, a national incentive for industrial technology upgrades. The plant answers European Union rules pushing member states toward a circular economy, an industrial model built on reusing and recycling materials instead of discarding them. Local media have described it as the largest facility of its kind in Italy.