Reju to open the first textile recycling unit in the Netherlands

After deploying a first recycling demonstrator of synthetic textiles in Frankfurt in October 2024, the French company Reju has announced that it will open its first industrial unit at Chemelot Chemical Park in Sittard-ngeleen, Netherlands. Reju is anxious to use the unit to demonstrate that it is possible to recycle large -scale textiles.

Reju eventually hopes to recycle the equivalent of 300,000 articles per year in its penny of regeneration in Chemelot. The plant will extract 50,000 tons of RBHET, a deolimerized chemical intermediate derived from plastic elements. Then, the intermediate will polymerize to become 'Polyester Reju', a fiber whose carbon impact is 50% lower than that of the virgin polyester, and is expected to be marketed by 2028.

“By announcing the next site for Regeneration Hub One, we are reinforcing our commitment to transform the textile industry through innovation and collaboration. Chemelot is the ideal environment to climb our technology and become part of a broader network of industrial powers that also focus on circularity.

The opening of the plant will be supported by the Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) of the Netherlands. Sophie Hermans, the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth of the Netherlands, praised the project “Sustainable, Circular and Future Oriented”, which “contributes to green growth and strengthens [the position of the Netherlands] in the field of circular chemicals. “

To underline the importance of the project, Reju said that the consumption of European textile increased from 17 kg to 19 kg per person between 2019 and 2022. In the same period, 94 million tons of textiles were thrown.