Reju announces first regeneration hub in the US

Textile-to-textile regeneration company Reju, owned by Technip Energies, has selected Rochester, New York, as the location of its first US-based industrial facility, as part of its efforts to scale globally.

The Reju Regeneration Hub site will span 18.9 acres on the Eastman Business Park, allowing the company to regenerate the equivalent of 300 million articles annually that would otherwise end up as textile waste to produce rBHET that will then be repolymerised into Reju PET.

In a statement, Reju said the site selection would provide opportunities “for diversifying and near-shoring manufacturing,” and would add to its expanding network of regeneration hubs, complementing the demo plant Regeneration Hub Zero, which is up and running in Frankfurt, and the site selection of Regeneration Hub One at Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard, Netherlands, announced earlier this year.

Patrik Frisk, chief executive of Reju, said: “As our first Regeneration hub in the United States, this site selection is a major leap forward in building a truly global circular system. We are proud to bring Reju’s sustainable manufacturing and jobs to the Rochester community.

“Reju is investing in a future where post-consumer textile waste becomes a resource, not a liability. It’s a signal to the market that circularity at scale is possible and now is the time to ensure the momentum continues to build.”

Reju uses proprietary recycling technology developed by Technip Energies and IBM Research to regenerate textile waste, starting with polyester, into high-quality Reju Polyester. This regenerated material has a 50 percent lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester and is engineered to be recyclable multiple times, reducing the industry’s reliance on fossil-based inputs.

The project will be subject to a final investment decision by the board of Technip Energies, Reju's parent company.