Reju to Launch First Large-Scale Textile Recycling Plant in the Netherlands
Reju, a textile regeneration company, has chosen Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard, Netherlands, as the location for its first major recycling facility, Regeneration Hub One. This marks a critical step in Reju’s mission to build a scalable, circular system for textile waste management.
Key Highlights:
- Facility Scale: Once operational, the hub will recycle up to 300 million garments annually, converting them into 50,000 tonnes of BHET (bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate).
- End Product: The BHET will be used to produce Reju PET, a recycled polyester with 50% lower carbon emissions than virgin polyester, which will be turned into yarns and textiles for new consumer goods.
- Location Advantage: Chemelot was chosen due to its robust industrial infrastructure and collaborative ecosystem, ideal for circular economy initiatives.
- Strategic Timing: This follows Reju’s prototype facility launch in Frankfurt in October 2024.
- Pending Approval: The full investment is awaiting a final decision from Technip Energies, Reju’s parent company.
Why It Matters:
- Environmental Impact: Europe discarded around 94 million tonnes of textiles in 2022. Reju aims to reduce this dramatically with a transparent, textile-to-textile recycling process.
- Innovative Edge: The process uses IBM Research’s proprietary recycling technology, focusing on sustainability by reclaiming polyester.
- Collaboration and Support: The project is backed by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth.
Industry Voices:
- Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju: “This is a major milestone… Chemelot is the ideal environment for scaling our technology and proving that textile circularity at scale is achievable.”
- Koos van Haasteren, CEO of Chemelot: “Reju’s hub fits our mission to accelerate circular innovation and set new sustainability standards.”
