Polyester report: how T2T projects are doing
Major projects for textile-to-textile recycling hold out hope for polyester circularity. Chris Saunders surveys the latest news from leading companies
Polyester has been called the “most urgent” problem in textile waste. This is no surprise given that it continues to be the most widely produced fibre in the world making up 59% of total global fibre output. However, the latest data from Textile Exchange (released in late 2025) shows that while recycled polyester production volume has increased, its total market share has declined due to a surge in virgin polyester production and at the present time, textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling specifically for polyester is estimated to account for only about 2% of all recycled polyester produced¹. Thankfully, some significant recent devel- opments may help to improve that statistic. Reju, the T2T regeneration company which opened a polyester recycling facility in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2024, has been awarded €135m in funding under the Netherlands’ NIKI program. The funding will support Reju’s planned industrial-scale Regeneration Hub at Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard-Geleen, covering both the investment phase and ongoing operations. “This award is a strong vote of confi- dence in our technology and our team,” said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. “At Chemelot, we will deliver circular raw materials at scale, reduce emissions across textile value chains, and establish a replicable blueprint for circular textiles in Europe.” NIKI is the Dutch government’s flagship
program to accelerate large-scale industrial decarbonisation and circularity. Reju’s project is closely aligned with these goals, expanding a T2T process that converts difficult-to-recycle, polyester-containing textiles into circular intermediates for new
12 Textiles Loop • Summer 2026
RE&UP has partnered with ONLY to launch a range of women’s tops made from next- generation recycled polyester. Image: ONLY
polyester production. Output from the planned post-consum-
er textiles facility in the Netherlands will be transformed into Reju Polyester, which will then be reintroduced into downstream supply chains for conversion into yarns and fabrics. Reju has also selected a site for its first US-based facility, marking another significant milestone. The 18.9 acre future Regeneration Hub will be located in Roches- ter, New York, and could potentially regenerate the equivalent of 300m articles annually. Reju uses proprietary recycling technology developed by Technip Energies and IBM Research.
Syre collaborates Swedish textile recycler Syre is accelerating its global expansion, signing an MoU with engineering group ABB for its first gigascale T2T recycling plant in Binh Dinh, Vietnam. The facility, part of a $1bn, 10-year investment plan, aims to start construction in 2027, ready for production by late 2029, and is backed by a supply agreement with Nike. The partnership is said to reflect the sportswear giant’s commitment to scaling sustainable innovation and will focus on the gradual integration of Syre’s circular polyester into core Nike performance lines, with the first products expected within the next few years.
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