#Reju #Textile Recycling #Chemelot #Sittard-Geleen

Reju’s Regeneration Hub One: Pioneering Textile Recycling

Reju™, a leader in textile regeneration, has made a significant announcement, choosing Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands, as the location for its first large-scale industrial recycling center known as Regeneration Hub One. This initiative reflects Reju's unwavering commitment to transforming the textile industry through cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices.

The establishment of Regeneration Hub One is a crucial step in Reju's mission to create a robust infrastructure for processing textile waste. By leveraging Chemelot's existing industrial ecosystem, Reju aims to scale its operations efficiently, integrating advanced recycling technologies to convert textile waste into high-quality resources. The site was selected after the successful launch of the Regeneration Hub Zero in Frankfurt in October 2024, showcasing Reju's growth trajectory.

Chemelot is renowned as one of Europe’s leading industrial parks and innovation hubs, characterized by a strong collaborative environment that fosters sustainable innovation. Reju's project will operate under investment approval from its parent company, Technip Energies, ensuring that the initiative aligns with broader corporate strategies for sustainable development.

Envisioning a Circular Economy

Regeneration Hub One aims to process approximately 300 million textile articles annually, diverting them from landfills and incineration. This ambitious capacity translates to around 50,000 tons of recycled raw material, known as rBHET, each year, which will be repolymerized into Reju PET. This innovative process produces Reju Polyester, which boasts CO₂ emissions that are 50% lower than traditional new polyester. This recycled material is then reintegrated into the production supply chain as yarns and fabrics for consumers.

The need for such initiatives is underscored by the rising textile consumption in Europe, which increased from 17 kg per person in 2019 to 19 kg per person in 2022. Notably, in 2022, EU member states disposed of around 94 million tons of textiles, with much of this waste ending up in landfills or incinerators. Reju aims to tackle this pressing issue by fostering strong partnerships with upstream partners to ensure comprehensive traceability of textiles.

Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju, emphasized the importance of this milestone, stating, "With the announcement of the Regeneration Hub One location, we reaffirm our commitment to innovating the textile industry through collaboration. Chemelot provides the perfect environment for scaling our technology and integrating it into a wider network of industry players focused on a circular economy. Our goal is to demonstrate that a textile-to-textile circular economy is feasible at scale."

Engaging Industry Partners for Sustainability

Reju, fully owned by Technip Energies, utilizes patented technology initially developed by IBM Research. The company's mission revolves around recovering, regenerating, and reusing polyester textile waste, thus creating a scalable circular system that reduces the industry's reliance on new resources.

Koos van Haasteren, CEO of Chemelot, echoed the sentiment of collaboration, stating, "At Chemelot, we are dedicated to promoting sustainable innovations and enabling circular solutions across various industries. Reju's Regeneration Hub One aligns with our mission to advance the transition towards a circular economy. By integrating their advanced textile recycling technology into our industrial ecosystem, we can accelerate the reduction of textile waste and set new benchmarks for sustainability in the material sector."

The initiative has been made possible thanks to collaborative efforts involving Dutch governmental agencies like the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and multiple ministries focused on climate policy, infrastructure, and water management. Minister Sophie Hermans remarked,