#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-05-23

Recycling Technologies. Next-Gen Fibers.

RE&UP pushes sustainable solutions further at Global Fashion Summit. The circulartech company reshapes the traditional textile-to-textile paradigm to bring to life sustainable solutions addressing the planet’s most pressing challenges.

The Global Fashion Summit convenes decision makers from brands, retailers, suppliers, policy and interlinked industries and it is the place to be for RE&UP to bring into the discussion how its unique ecosystem of recycling cotton, polyester and polycotton can reshape the traditional textile-to-textile paradigm.

Built upon the century-long textile heritage of SANKO, this new venture has engineered a unique and patented proprietary technology that is one-of-a-kind in its ability to separate polycotton blended materials into new pure materials for recycling. A combination of advanced thermochemical, thermomechanical and mechanical technologies, this solution is feedstock agnostic and broadens the scope of accessible waste streams.

The result is revolutionary Next-Gen Cotton and Next-Gen Polyester that offer performance on par with virgin options, including robust fiber length and full decolorization, while significantly reducing the environmental impact thanks to reduced water usage (~85%) and CO2 emissions (~85%) when compared to virgin materials. All of this, with immediate applicability for yarns, fabrics and garments today and at scale. RE&UP operates facilities in Turkiye, with more expected to open in Europe and Asia. The company aims to recycle over 200,000 tons of textile waste annually by 2025, with plans to expand to over 1 million tons globally by 2030.

This ambitious scale-up positions RE&UP at the forefront of sustainable transformation in the fashion industry. "At RE&UP, we are dedicated to fostering a more responsible and technologically advanced future for textiles and fashion," said Fatih Konukoglu, Chairman at RE&UP. "Enriched by parent company SANKO’s centenary knowledge in textile innovation, we are able to share a unique expertise bringing groundbreaking sustainability advancements to the table." RE&UP’s participation in the Global Fashion Summit highlights its commitment to driving positive change in the fashion industry, taking part in the fireside chat “Future Fibers: Enabling the Circular Model” with Mr. Fatih Konukoglu, and the panel “Unlocking Global Collaboration” with Ebru Ozkucuk Guler, Chief Sustainability Officer, to share the company’s innovative solutions and collaborative approach leading the way towards a more sustainable and circular future for textiles and fashion.

Industrial scale meets verified governance: RE&UP is now B Corp™ certified

RE&UP, the circular-tech transforming global textile waste into high-volume Next-Gen materials, has officially become a Certified B Corporation™. The milestone establishes the industrial recycler among a select group of manufacturing infrastructure providers verified as meeting B Lab Standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

RE&UP contributes to Global Fashion Summit 2026 circularity discussion

RE&UP contributed to the global conversation on textile circularity at Global Fashion Summit 2026 in Copenhagen, where Fatih Konukoğlu, Chairman of RE&UP and Vice Chairman of Sanko Holding, took part in both the keynote session “The New Rules” and the panel discussion “A Reckoning and Renewal for Circular Horizons”, alongside leaders from H&M Group, Looper Textile Co. and Sourcing Journal.

Recover™ and Ünteks Group partner to scale recycled cotton in knitwear

Recover(TM), a global producer of low‐impact, high‐quality recycled cotton fiber, announces a new partnership with Ünteks Group, a vertically integrated textile manufacturer based in Turkey. The collaboration focuses on the development of circular knit fabrics and garments, combining Recover’s recycled cotton fiber with Ünteks Group’s integrated capabilities across knitting, dyeing, printing, and garment production.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.