DyeRecycle innovates with colour removal process
The DyeRecycle
process leads to colour-free fibres. Image: DyeRecycle
An innovative start-up is on a mission to improve fibre-to-fibre recycling with its decolorising technology. By David Eldridge
A spinout company from Imperial College London is exhibiting at Textiles Recycling Expo Europe in June with its new solution to the problem of decolourising waste textiles. DyeRecycle has developed a process for removing colour from post-use textiles, including clothing, that leads to improved quality in fibre-to-fibre recycling. Irene Maffini, Chief Commercial Officer
at DyeRecycle, explained to TextilesLoop that the process uses a proprietary solvent that enables selective separation of the dye in used textiles to leave a high-quality white material ready for recycling. It is working on polyester-rich streams with a number of industry partners. The blends vary from 65% up to 95% polyester, she said. This is an important development as
removing dye residues in the waste stream would allow recyclers to offer a higher-quali- ty, higher-value fibre in the market. The dye recovered from the process is also available for reuse, and at this pre-pilot stage DyeRecycle is exploring valorising options for products, not just polyester and dye but also by-products such as cotton. In one project
14 Textiles Loop • Summer 2026
with a chemical recycler it has demonstrated separation of elastane from fibre blends. DyeRecycle’s business model is based on
technology licensing. Positioned as a pre-processing stage in recycling, it is envisioned that recyclers would install the technology in their own plants, inputting shredded textiles and outputting separated materials for recycling. Both chemical and mechanical textile recyclers are being courted, with a particular target being recyclers using glycolysis on PET. “Glycoly- sis struggles with dyes,” said Maffini.
Non-toxic solvent What makes DyeRecycle’s technology different from other textile decolourising processes in R&D projects elsewhere? Maffini said its solvent is based on non-toxic and non-flammable solvent manufactured using a formulation of bulk commodity chemicals. In comparison with processes based on higher-risk flammable and toxic organic solvents or supercritical CO2, the process uses less energy. Other benefits include scalability, safety at low capex
compared to alternative technologies. Another attraction is the closed-loop
nature of the DyeRecycle process. Maffini said 99% of the solvent is recovered for reuse. The dye is also recovered and can be reused either in garments or other applications (paint is one area under study). Its suitability for colouring new garments in industrial jet dyeing has been demonstrated in a project with ATB in Portugal and full commercialisation is expected in 2027, she said. From this project, a capsule collection was launched by sustainable textiles company Positive Materials. Having taken its process out of the lab,
DyeRecycle is now on the scaling path. It is planning to increase annual processing capacity to tonnes-scale in a pilot plant which Maffini said is expected to be in production by the end of this year. It is partnering with a leading engineering company that is behind 40% of global PET capacity to achieve its scaling goals. She said that after piloting, the company aims to move up to kilotons capacity from 2028. •
www.dyerecycle.com
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