A significant amount of post-consumer, polyester-rich, European textile wastes, that were sorted and prepared in France, have been processed in the Axens, IFPEN and JEPLAN semi-industrial demonstration unit in Japan. This waste has gone on to produce the base monomer of a 100% recycled polyester, paving the way for circular polyester loops for the textiles industry.
Axens, IFPEN, and JEPLAN
Axens, IFPEN, and JEPLAN complete polyester textiles recycling loop
“Science, scale-up engineering and operational expertise come together to demonstrate the performance of the Rewind PET process developed by IFPEN, JEPLAN, and Axens,” said Quentin Debuisschert, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Axens. “Axens and its partners thus demonstrate the robustness, stability, and reproducibility of a cutting-edge recycling technology specifically designed to promote the closed-loop circularity of textile polyester.”
AXENS, IFPEN and JEPLAN have successfully completed a major industrial test for recycling post-consumer textile waste rich in polyester (PET) utilising Rewind PET technology. This validation saw several tens of tons of textiles from the French public collection processed. As a result, several tens of tons of the base monomer of polyester, BHET, have been produced and will be converted into polyester yarns, fabrics, and garments. This industrial textile-to-textile recycling test is set to pave the way for the large-scale industrial chemical recycling of textile polyester.
The technology is now validated for textile use under an exclusive license granted by IFPEN/JEPLAN to Axens worldwide to any industrial player. The PET recycled from this process can be converted into yarn, fabric, and then garments, completing the textile-to-textile loop for segments such as:
- Sportswear and outdoors (sectors that are heavy consumers of polyester).
- Home furnishings (e.g., upholstery fabrics, curtains, covers).
- Luxury applications that require polyester.
The Rewind PET process fits into a global circular strategy, offering textile manufacturers a way to reduce virgin material consumption and extend the life cycle of products. Additionally, the technology offers the shortest loop to recycle spent textiles, providing a positive impact on carbon footprint and cost.
“With Rewind PET, IFPEN is realising more than ten years of research to put chemical recycling at the service of an ambitious circular economy,” said Franck Chevet, President and CEO of IFPEN. “Our work has enabled the production of a high-purity recycled monomer that can be directly reintroduced into the most demanding applications, such as textiles. This is an important step.”
Masaki Takao, CEO of JEPLAN, added, “By hosting the Rewind PET semi-industrial demonstrator at our Kitakyushu Hibikiknada Plant, we are demonstrating in practice that this technology can be integrated into a real industrial environment, with its complex constraints and waste streams. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for the market to develop fibres and fabrics incorporating a very high percentage of recycled materials, without compromising on performance or sustainability.”
