21-05-2025
Reju to open first textiles recycling unit in the Netherlands
After deploying a first synthetic textiles recycling demonstrator in Frankfurt in October 2024, French company Reju has announced it will open its first industrial unit at the Chemelot chemical park in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands. Reju is keen to use the unit to demonstrate it is possible to recycle textiles on a massive scale.
Reju expects to eventually be able to recycle the equivalent of 300,000 items per year at its Regeneration Hub One plant at Chemelot. The plant will extract 50,000 tons of rBHET, a de-polymerized chemical intermediate derived from plastic elements. The intermediate will then be polymerized to become 'Reju Polyester', a fibre whose carbon impact is 50% lower than that of virgin polyester, and is expected to be marketed by 2028.
'By announcing the forthcoming site for Regeneration Hub One, we are reinforcing our commitment to transforming the textile industry through innovation and collaboration. Chemelot is the ideal environment for scaling our technology and becoming part of a broader network of industrial powerhouses which are also focused on circularity. This is where we will prove that textile-to-textile circularity at scale is achievable,' said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju.
The plant's opening will be backed by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). Sophie Hermans, the Netherlands's Minister for Climate Policy and Green Growth, hailed the 'sustainable, circular and future-oriented' project, which 'contributes to green growth and strengthens [the position of the Netherlands] in the field of circular chemicals.'
To underline the project's importance, Reju noted that European textile consumption rose from 17 kg to 19 kg per person between 2019 and 2022. In the same period, 94 million tons of textiles were thrown away.
