#Recycling / Circular Economy

2023-03-02

Rieter and Recover: Cooperation in the field of recycling

International governments and downstream consumers call for greater cooperation in the textile industry for a circular economy. It is becoming more significant to make a combined effort with other major stakeholders in different areas to respond to the increasing demand for transition.

Rieter and Recover agreed to join hands for technological advancements and research projects in the field of recycling. Both parties will work together to conduct trials and initiatives with various recycled raw materials and blends to build a solid foundation for textile circularity.

Rieter has high competence in customized spinning systems for staple fibers including recycled materials and Recover has developed its expertise in processing and applying high-quality recycled fibers. Both parties are expected to create synergies by improving the processing of pre-and post-consumer recycling materials.

In a trial, high-quality yarn was produced with recycled material from Recover with Rieter ring spinning machines. © 2023 Rieter

Recover™ and Rieter partner to reshape sustainable textiles

This joint cooperation is betting on ambitious research that hopes to increase the availability, applicability and use of recycled textiles as raw materials.

Agents of change: investing in the future of recycled fibers

Potential new blends

Rieter and Recover™ have joined hands to develop technological advancements and research projects in the field of recycling. Both parties are working together to conduct trials and initiatives with various recycled raw materials and blends to build a solid foundation for textile circularity.

Specifically, they are working to amplify Recover's catalogue of blends, Recover announced in the press release. The challenges lie in mechanically recycling diverse fabrics without sacrificing the integrity of the resulting fiber.

New horizons for post-consumer textile waste

Most of the textile waste Recover currently recycles is either post-industrial or pre-consumer as both are easier to sort – by composition and by color. Post-consumer waste, on the other hand, is more challenging as pieces’ composition varies widely (from 100% cotton to cotton/polyester blends and rayon).

With Rieter, Recover hopes to change that. They’re working side by side to be able to scale the recycling of post-consumer textiles and still produce the highest-quality recycled fiber.

Rieter has high competence in customized spinning systems for staple fibers including recycled materials and Recover™ has developed its expertise in processing and applying high-quality recycled fibers. Both parties are expected to create synergies by improving the processing of pre-and post-consumer recycling materials and to extending the scope of use of recycled fibers with improved processes and machines.

Improved traceability

Rieter and Recover™ are collaborating with 3rd parties such as universities to verify how much recycled fiber is left in the yarn when applying new processes. This collaboration is expected to help the textile industry enhance the competence of verifying real recycled material usage.

Promising alliances for a promising future

"We’re excited to see where this cooperative research takes us. We’re thrilled to continue working alongside Rieter as we work towards a circular textiles future", Recover said in a statement.

Rieter appoints Daniel Lippuner as new CEO as Thomas Oetterli steps down

Thomas Oetterli has decided to step down from his function as CEO, effective October 31, 2026, and hand over the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors. “After the successful implementation of the Next Level performance program, the structural measures initiated to consolidate the sites and the acquisition of Barmag, the time has come to hand over responsibility to new hands,” explains Thomas Oetterli.

Rieter and partners launch Recycling Powerhouse for industrial-scale textile recycling

Recycling Powerhouse Ltd. was established in July 2026 to industrialize, standardize and scale textile recycling. Based in Switzerland, the venture will operate a franchise-driven business model that enables the production of high-quality, certified recycled yarns. The project is supported by the following partners: Rieter Group, the world’s leading system supplier for natural and man-made fibers, Säntis Textiles, a Swiss textile engineering company, and Valvan, a Belgian sorting technology company. The first blueprint franchise operation is scheduled to launch early 2027 in partnership with Suhail Industrial Holding Group in Qatar.

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.

20 Start-Ups selected for CEMATEX Start-Up Grant at ITMA 2027

CEMATEX has selected 20 emerging start-ups from nine countries to receive the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant and showcase their innovations at Start-Up Valley during ITMA 2027 in Hanover. Their participation will be fully funded by CEMATEX, giving promising early-stage companies access to the world’s leading textile and garment technology platform.

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC. Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

New Cotton Review examines competitiveness, market risk, and opportunities

From moving record volumes of Brazilian cotton to market, to managing price volatility, unlocking Ethiopia’s production potential, and strengthening African textile trade, the latest edition of Cotton: Review of the World Situation examines some of the most consequential opportunities and challenges facing the global cotton industry.

Long John puts KARL MAYER's RDJ 7/3 into operation and strengthens its position as a market leader

KARL MAYER has just unveiled its new RDJ 7/3 Jacquard Double Needle Bar Raschel Machine in the international trade press, and the innovation is already causing a stir in the market: The Long John Group, a leading manufacturer of performance footwear fabrics and a long-standing partner of renowned brands, was the first customer to invest in the new machine and celebrated its official launch at its Indonesian plant on August 20.

An eco-friendly alternative to fluorocarbon treatments

Protective and outdoor clothing derives its durable water-, dirt- and oil- repellent properties from the application of fluorinated polymers or per- and polyfluorinated low-molecular- weight chemicals (PFCs). The beneficial properties thus achieved on textiles are offset by environmental and human health risks. For manufacturers of sports, medical, protective and automotive textiles, researchers at the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research have developed liquid-applied dispersions and solutions to functionalise textiles without the use of fluorine.