#Recycled Fibers

2025-10-23

matterr at K – Where innovation meets industry

At this year’s K trade fair, matterr took the stage to showcase its technology and demonstrate how it drives circular polyester at an industrial scale. Insightful conversations, strong new connections, and great energy — all together reminds how powerful it is when innovation meets industry. The momentum from Düsseldorf shows: circular transformation is no longer a vision — it’s happening.

The cleantech company matterr was part of this year’s K — The World’s No. 1 Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber, introducing its patented depolymerization technology to a global audience. At the booth and during its sessions the company shared insights into its first small-scale industrial plant, to be built at Chemiepark Knapsack, which will serve as a blueprint for future large-scale facilities.

On day two, matterr hosted a press briefing together with Ralf Müller and Christoph Kappenhagen from the management board of YNCORIS, and Monika Beck, Head of Business Unit D-A-CH / Spain / Portugal at NRW.Global Business. The message was clear: industrial innovation can start in Germany — and scale across borders.

“With the EU funding and BESTSELLER’s investment, we have reached two important milestones toward building a small-scale industrial depolymerization plant at Chemiepark Knapsack. Our decision to scale in Germany is intentional: the technology was developed here, and we will keep the value creation here. This ensures strategic independence in a key technology driving the global circular transformation in the textile and packaging industries", states Melanie Hackler, CEO of matterr

Project and regional impact

The planned facility, with an annual capacity of around 10,000 tons, will convert hard-to-recycle polyester streams — from textiles to multilayer packaging — into virgin-quality, drop-in feedstock. The technology is specifically designed to handle complex material streams that mechanical recycling cannot handle.

By recovering polyester captured in mixed waste streams currently sent to landfill or incineration, matterr advances decarbonization across the polyester value chain, and contributes to EU circular economy and climate targets – while reinforcing Germany’s role as a hub for industrial innovation.

Scaling up, matterr aims to prove that fossil-free circular solutions work at industrial scale and to set a new benchmark for regenerative supply chains across industries.

“Chemiepark Knapsack offers ideal conditions: infrastructure, energy networks, skilled workforce, and proximity to strong partners across the value chain. For us as a team, it is also about establishing standards and processes that enable fast replication and international roll-out, says Benjamin Rump, COO of matterr.

Recycling pioneer matterr to build plant at Chemiepark Knapsack

matterr is establishing operations at Chemiepark Knapsack. The planned small-scale industrial depolymerisation plant will be located in the Hürth section of the site and will have an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes. The facility marks an important step toward a fossil-free, circular PET industry. Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2026.

matterr welcomes BESTSELLER as new investor to scale polyester recycling

matterr, the German cleantech company pioneering polyester recycling, announces a strategic partnership with family-owned international fashion group BESTSELLER. The investment, made through BESTSELLER’s innovation and investment platform Invest FWD, follows a major EU commitment of 30 million euros in public support through the EFRE/JTF program in North Rhine-Westphalia. Together, these milestones lay the foundation for matterr’s first small-scale industrial plant and the subsequent international scale-up of its technology.

"We will become a recycling powerhouse"

The textile industry is now in its fourth consecutive year of crisis, while automation, artificial intelligence and recycling are reshaping the rules of the game. In this interview, Rieter CEO Thomas Oetterli discusses the first signs of a market recovery, reflects on his first three years at the helm of the company, explains the integration of Barmag, outlines Rieter’s vision of the fully automated spinning mill and highlights the strategic importance of recycling. In doing so, he explains why the new Rieter Group aims to play a leading role in transforming the textile value chain into a circular economy.

Countdown to Textiles Recycling Expo 2026: Brussels prepares for Europe’s textile recycling gathering

With only two weeks remaining until the start of the second edition of the Textiles Recycling Expo 2026, preparations are entering the final phase. The exhibition and conference, dedicated exclusively to textile recycling and circularity, will take place on 24–25 June 2026 at Brussels Expo and is expected to attract stakeholders from across the textile recycling value chain.

Indorama Ventures enables brands to scale circular textiles through proven, traceable supply chains

Indorama Ventures, a global leader in recycled polyester staple fibers and filament yarns, will exhibit at Textiles Recycling Expo in Brussels on June 24–25. At the event, the company will show how brands and textile manufacturers can build traceable, circular textile supply chains by working with proven partners who deliver recycled materials on an industrial scale.

RECOVER™ launches Recover™ Yarns to accelerate recycled cotton uptake

Recover™, a leading materials science company and one of the world’s largest producers of recycled cotton fiber, today announces the launch of Recover™ Yarns, a curated portfolio of ready-to-use yarn solutions designed to accelerate the adoption of recycled cotton across the apparel supply chain.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.