Rec (Ecollant) will open its first polyamide recycling facility this spring

Ecollant, based in Auxerre, has developed a process that recycles 100% of the polyamide found in tights. As it prepares an industrial demonstrator for 2026, the Burgundy-based company is expanding its recycling capabilities to sportswear, lingerie and swimwear. In line with this change, it adopts a new name: Rec.

Founded by Laurent Trognon and Frédéric Austrui, the company's process recovers from textiles a nylon with properties identical to those of virgin polyamide. “There are many people capable of recycling it. What sets us apart is our ability to reach the level of purity necessary to produce strong yarns that can be used on an industrial scale,” says operations director Agathe Rouzaud.

Thanks to its process, Rec has secured a 1,800 square meter facility in Joigny, where in the initial phase it will employ 17 people and produce 100 tons of nylon per year. A second plant is already planned for 2030, which this time will employ about 30 people and produce about 20,000 tons of material.

“We already have 100 tons of products in stock to recycle,” explains Frédéric Austrui, who points out that Rec has already secured its raw materials through collection specialists and hotel chains. The initial focus was tights rich in polyamide. But the company is now expanding its collection reach, working on products made up of at least 70% nylon.

Some consumers have already encountered recycled materials by Rec, which tested them through Divine, a tights and tights brand. Also through the Révélation brand of socks and parkas, sold mainly at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. The success, which surprised even its founders, made it possible to quickly raise around one million euros to finance an industrial project that now aims to focus solely on the supply of manufacturers and brands, some of which have already committed to purchasing recycled nylon from Rec.

In 2024, polyamide (or nylon) represented 5% of fibers produced worldwide, around seven million tons, making it the second most produced synthetic fiber, far behind polyester. That same year, only 2% of nylon produced came from recycling, with long-standing technical obstacles hampering recovery.

“When we set out to recycle nylon, they told us it was impossible,” recalls Laurent Trognon, referring to a previous venture with Frédéric Austrui: divine stockings and tights for large retailers. “We were faced with the problem of waste generated, while our yarn supplier constantly increased prices. That's why we decided to create our own industrial operation.”

Rec is not limited to clothing. While polyamide is widely used in technical and sports clothing, the material is mainly used in the automotive industry and also in electronics and industrial equipment. All of these are areas in which the Burgundy company has already begun to gain points of sale.