News


Congresswoman Pingree introduces bill for federal textile waste strategy in USA


A first-of-its-kind bill to combat harmful impacts from fast fashion-driven waste has been introduced in the US Congress. The Textile Waste Reduction Act (TWRA) was brought forward in September by Chellie Pingree, who is a representative in the state of Maine, and founder of the Slow Fashion Caucus. The TWRA: directs the


Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to take coordinated federal action to advance textile circularity; requires EPA to develop a comprehensive National Textile Circularity Strategy and conduct a needs assessment


identifying the actions, investments, and policy priorities necessary to imple- ment the strategy. The proposed federal


legislation would also create an Interagency Working Group and stakeholder advisory board to coordinate and inform federal activities, improve textile waste data collection, and make existing federal funding opportunities easier to identify. Measures in the TWRA are based on recommendations made in a 2024 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on fast fashion pollution. Pingree said: “The


Chellie Pingree is behind


The Textile Waste Reduction Act. Image: Official


GAO report confirmed what we’ve known for years: that textile waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the US; that it’s being driven largely by fast fashion; and that federal action is necessary to confront this crisis in a real, impactful way.” She said: “Our country has


the resources and know-how to lead this effort on a global scale. It’s well past time we turn that potential into action – and help transform this wasteful industry


into one that’s more efficient, more sustainable, and better for people and the planet.” An update to the GAO


report broadens its focus to examine a textile circular economy, including design, reuse, repair, and recycling. GAO said obstacles to circularity include limited domestic infrastructure and funding, gaps in comprehensive data, and a lack of common terminology and standards. • https://pingree.house.gov


Reju opens R&D centre in USA with focus on polyester and blended fabrics


Textile recycling group Reju has opened a Research and Development (R&D) centre in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, its first proprietary research centre in North America. Located within the existing


Advanced Materials and Catalysts research centre of Reju’s parent Technip Energies, the lab will allow Reju to accelerate the rollout of its recycling technologies and develop next-generation circular solutions. It also marks the relocation of Reju’s core research team from IBM’s Almaden Research Centre in California, where the company’s VolCat depolymerisation technology, a catalytic chemical recycling method that breaks down polyester into reusable


4 Textiles Loop • Autumn 2026


Reju’s operation in Frankfurt, Germany. Image: Reju


raw materials, was first developed. The facility joins Reju’s


growing international infra- structure, which includes its first textile-to-textile recycling plant, Regeneration Hub Zero, in Frankfurt, Germany, and planned hubs in Sittard (Netherlands), Lacq (France), and New York (US).


“I’m excited to be part of the team driving this technol- ogy toward industrialisation, while building the infrastruc- ture needed to make true post-consumer textile-to-tex- tile recycling possible at scale,” said Gregory Breyta, Reju’s Director of Research and Development. “Together, these facilities form a global, scalable,


and replicable circular infra- structure designed to turn today’s textile waste into tomorrow’s raw materials.” Activities at the new centre will span the entire develop- ment process, from initial feasibility studies through kilogram-scale production. Its work will focus on polyester recycling, solutions for blended fabrics, and the development of new circular chemistry pathways, helping speed up experimentation and reduce the time needed to bring Reju’s innovations from concept to industrial application. The centre will also support


the development of technolo- gies at the company’s future regeneration hubs. •www.reju.com


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