#Recycling / Circular Economy

2025-01-30

Worn Again Technologies becomes a Gold-Level sponsor of EuRIC

Worn Again has announced that it is now a Gold-Level sponsor of the European Recycling Industries Confederation (EuRIC). This partnership strengthens the company’s commitment to building a sustainable and Circular Economy, both within the textiles sector and wider industry.

In November 2024, WornAgain announced the breakthrough they had been aiming for with their technology: the recycling of polycotton. Mike Schwarz presents the technology here under the motto “From colorful shirts to pristine white fibers” © 2025 WornAgain

EuRIC is the leading voice for a competitive European recycling industry, representing more than 5,500 companies as it advocates for recycling’s role in Europe’s industrial transition. With a combined turnover of almost a hundred billion Euros to the EU economy, EuRIC members transform waste into valuable resources,supporting 300,000 green jobs and bridging the gap between circularity and climate neutrality.

Toby Moss, Director of Business Development at Worn Again, said: “Becoming a Gold-Level sponsor of EuRIC is a key milestone for us. Sustainability is not something any business – or even industry – can achieve in isolation. This collaboration underscores the importance of working together to scale innovative solutions that divert waste from landfills and incineration and instead transforms it into valuable resources.

“EuRIC’s work aligns perfectly with our mission to accelerate the Circular Economy and inspire systemic change in the global textiles industry.”

With its advanced chemical recycling technologies, Worn Again extracts polyester and cellulose from post-consumer textiles, offering outputs that can be reintroduced into the supply chain.

As a Gold-Level Sponsor, Worn Again will actively contribute to EuRIC’s vital initiatives, including offering expertise and support across educational outreach, industry collaboration, and advocacy for progressive recycling policies. These initiatives aim to build a unified framework for sustainable practices across industries and ensure that resources remain in continuous circulation.

“As recycling innovators, we are at the forefront of Europe’s green industrial evolution,” added Toby. “Together with EuRIC, we aim to amplify the impact of recycling technologies and help shape policies that make a tangible difference for our planet and future generations.”Julia Ettinger, EuRIC’s Secretary General welcomed the sponsorship stating: “We are delighted to welcome Worn Again Technologies as a Gold sponsor. Collaboration with pioneering companies is essential to driving innovation and accelerating the transition to a more circular future. Worn Again’s expertise and commitment to sustainability will be a significant asset to EuRIC’s Textiles branch, which represents the collective interests of Europe’s textile recycling and re-use industries.”

HKRITA signs MoU with Jeanologia and Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) yesterday officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two key global partners, Jeanologia and Looptworks, to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.

Object Carpet tests production of rPET BCF yarn on Neumag BCF line

In a joint project with Object Carpet GmbH, Denkendorf; the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA), Augsburg; and Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH (NGR), Feldkirchen, Austria, Barmag investigated the processing of recycled polyester for BCF yarn. The goal was to evaluate the fundamental suitability of 100% recycled carpet material for reuse in carpet yarn production to create a closed-loop system in carpet manufacturing. To date, commercial rPET BCF processes have been based solely on rPET from bottle pellets.

Albany International reports progress with Cyclezyme on industrial textile recycling project

Albany International Corp. (NYSE:AIN) reports continued progress in the ongoing project with Cyclezyme AB, a leader in advanced enzyme-based plastic recycling, based in Sweden. The project exemplifies leading edge innovation in materials science, focusing on the development of enzyme-based recycling of industrial textiles primarily consisting of polyester and polyamide, where there is currently a significant lack of effective solutions for circular material flows. The objective of the project is to establish enzymatic processes for depolymerization and recycling of technical textiles and high-performance industrial materials.

The textile industry in transition

Recycling, traceability, eco-design and digitalisation are among the key future challenges facing the European textile industry. The Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity, involving 21 partners from twelve countries, is investigating the skills required to address these challenges. As the German industry partner, the Industry Association for Finishing – Yarns – Fabrics – Technical Textiles (IVGT) is bringing the industry’s perspective to the project.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.