New Reju and Circle-8 partnership to tackle large-scale textile-to-textile recycling in UK

Textile-to-textile regeneration company Reju and Lonond-based Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems have partnered to boost large-scale textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling in the UK and make a dent in the growing post-consumer textile pile.

After opening pilot plant “Regeneration Hub Zero” in Frankfurt, Germany in October 2024, Reju announced its first industrial size textile-to-textile recycling centre at Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard, Netherlands, in May of this year. More Regeneration Hubs are planned in Europe, for which Circle-8 will supply the feedstock.

The builder of ecosystems and infrastructures uses its own digitised Automated Textile Sorting and Preprocessing (ATSP) facility to process post-consumer textile waste. Reju will then use the feedstock to produce its regenerated Reju Polyester, which has a 50 percent lower carbon footprint compared to virgin polyester and can be regenerated infinitely.

Elevating T2T recycling

“Working with Circle-8’s growing ecosystem and ATSP enables us to elevate the efficiency of the textile recycling process, making it easier and more precise, resulting in a premium product meeting the high Reju standard for polyester,” commented Reju CEO Patrik Frisk in a press release.

“As more consumers and clothing producers become aware of the importance of keeping textiles out of landfills, it is critical to have automated, streamlined processes and facilities in the places where the textile waste is,” added Frisk.

With Circle-8 providing pre-sorted and pre-processed feedstock for Reju, the partnership is expected to tackle the more than 700,000 tonnes of non-reusable textile waste generated in the UK every year, leading UK brands and retailers to a fully transparent and viable fibre-to-fibre ecosystem.

“Reju and Circle-8 share an unwavering commitment to unlocking true indefinite textile-to-textile recycling here in the UK and around the globe,” said Cyndi Rhoades, co-founder and CEO at Circle-8. “This partnership highlights the importance of cooperation and innovation in turning textile waste into resource. With global regulatory bodies enacting coordinated efforts addressing the issue, Reju and Circle-8 are dedicated to scalable solutions meeting regulatory demands and achieving a more sustainable future.”

In the last few months, Reju also announced partnerships with Antex and Utexa, multifilament yarn producers with manufacturing locations in Europe and the Americas as well as the Italian Producer Responsibility Organization Rematrix and French pioneer in end-of-life textile recovery Nouvelles Fibres Textiles (NFT) to cover textile-to-textile recycling from all angles and worldwide.