Reconomy brand joins B2B textile circularity network
Cibutex is an organization based in the Netherlands that connects businesses involved in textile production and supply, industrial laundry services, and recycling.
Their goal is to make textiles more circular and sustainable.
In May, Reconomy announced that its brand, Reverse Logistics Group (RLG), has become a part of Cibutex, a network of B2B textile producers, suppliers, industrial laundry providers, and recyclers that aims to speed up the shift to a circular textile economy in Europe.
Reconomy states that Cibutex is a nonprofit organization started in 2021 by five textile service companies and is based in Amsterdam.
The network has grown to include 60 members from the European Union and Switzerland, covering business textile supply, industrial laundry, and recycling services. Cibutex works with national textile organizations in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom and has a permanent representative in the European Textile Services Association (ETSA).
Reconomy, located in the U.K., describes RLG as a top operator managing over 40 producer responsibility organizations (PROs) and takeback systems in 15 countries.
They assist global brands in understanding the complex extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations. The company mentions that RLG will provide its regulatory and operational knowledge to help Cibutex’s members while also expanding RLG’s network of textile sorting and recycling partners for both closed-loop and open-loop recycling solutions.
“As one of the largest operators of EPR schemes worldwide, we are excited to join Cibutex’s network to assist producers and suppliers in navigating the increasing complexity of textile EPR regulations throughout Europe,” says Steffen Kück, senior sales manager ECS at RLG.
“Becoming part of Cibutex will also enhance our leading capabilities by expanding our network of sorters and recycling partners. We are eager to collaborate closely with Cibutex and its members to help speed up the transition towards a more circular and sustainable future for the B2B textiles industry.”
Reconomy notes that this collaboration is important as B2B textiles represent a “significant but poorly managed” stream of materials, with a large number of textiles entering the market and being discarded each year.
However, most of these textiles still end up being downcycled, used for energy recovery, or disposed of.
Reconomy adds that this initiative follows their research into the structural challenges facing B2B textile circularity.
This research highlighted that while B2B textiles are often easier to recycle than business-to-consumer textiles, circular solutions have not yet gone beyond pilot projects due to issues like lack of data visibility, scattered collection systems, and underdeveloped end markets.
“We are very happy to welcome RLG to the Cibutex network,” says Cibutex Director Hein Barnhoorn.
“With the vision and philosophy behind RLG’s business, their membership is a perfect match. As a highly successful global company operating in over 80 countries, RLG shows that circular business models can have both environmental and commercial success. Their long-term goals align perfectly with Cibutex’s mission to promote circularity in the B2B textiles industry.”
