#Recycling / Circular Economy

2022-12-01

UNIFI, makers of REPREVE®, announces major expansion of Textile Takeback™

Today, Unifi Inc. (NYSE: UFI), makers of REPREVE® and one of the world’s leading innovators in recycled and synthetic yarns, announced a major expansion of its innovative Textile Takeback™ program. The initiative is designed to collect and recycle polyester-based fabric waste, including both pre- and post-consumer fabrics, and transform it into REPREVE® – the leading recycled performance fiber that powers top brands and sustainable goods worldwide.

With millions of tons of textile waste discarded each year, Textile Takeback™ aims to transform the industry’s take-make-waste model by providing a sustainable way to recycle landfill-bound textiles and create new products. Through UNIFI’s proprietary process, the Company transforms dyed and undyed polyester-based textile discards into recycled resin through an innovative material conversion process. The recycled resin is then converted into REPREVE® fiber, or it may be blended with recycled bottle material to achieve desired specifications. The material then begins its life cycle again and avoids a trip to the landfill. By focusing on sustainable solutions that create a closed-loop circular system, Textile Takeback™ from UNIFI serves as an actionable step towards addressing the industry’s waste footprint.

“UNIFI has always seen sustainability as a movement – not a moment,” said Eddie Ingle, Chief Executive Officer of UNIFI. “We are thrilled to expand Textile Takeback™ to provide our partners with a sustainable solution that helps to create a more circular supply chain for all.”

As an industry leader and legacy company, UNIFI has championed sustainable innovation since 1971. As the makers of REPREVE®, UNIFI has transformed more than 35 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new apparel, footwear, home goods, and other consumer products. Initially piloted in 2011, Textile Takeback™ will include an expanded global footprint and product application scope, making a sustainable solution for waste accessible to partners at scale.

“Finding new ways to help our partners meet their sustainability goals is always top of mind,” said Meredith Boyd, SVP of Technology, Innovation & Sustainability of UNIFI. “By expanding our Textile Takeback™ initiative, we are one step closer to shaping a future where waste is the exception – not the rule.”

To learn more, please visit UNIFI at Hall C2, 536 at ISPO 2022, being held November 28th - 30th at the Trade Fair Center Messe München Exhibition Center. For more information on Textile Takeback™ from UNIFI, please visit www.textiletakeback.com.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Managed workwear services are providing a blueprint for the circular textile economy

Managed workwear service providers are demonstrating how commercial success and circularity can go hand in hand by extending garment lifespans through repair, laundering, reuse and recycling, according to “Managed workwear services—a circular textile economy ahead of the game”, a new 14‑page report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence.

Eco-design as the foundation of circular textiles

Based on the results of an extensive European analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is currently developing three practice-based training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. This was preceded by a comprehensive company survey and a joint analysis conducted by the project partners under the leadership of IVGT. The results show that the greatest challenges lie not so much in a lack of technology as in skills gaps.

Usha Yarns secures growth equity investment from Fullerton Carbon Action Fund

Usha Yarns Limited (“Usha Yarns”), a producer of high-quality recycled yarns with advanced, well established production processes, announced a growth equity investment from the Fullerton Carbon Action Fund (“Fullerton”), a private equity strategy managed by Fullerton Fund Management that backs established mid-market companies across Emerging Asia to accelerate decarbonisation.

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.