#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-06-27

Rehubs elects Board Of Directors and pre-launches Coleo’s new recycling sorting facility

ReHubs proudly announces the election of its Board of Directors, another milestone that strengthens its mission to industrially scale up fibre-to-fibre textile recycling across Europe. The election came during the ReHubs Annual Event, this year hosted by Coleo in Barcelona, in which they presented their new Recycling Sorting Facility, prompted through their partnership with ReHubs.

The elected Board of Directors, comprising experienced and diverse industry leaders from ReHubs partner organisations, will support Executive Director Chris Deloof in developing ReHubs' capacity-building and knowledge-sharing projects. The Board includes; Acerina Trejo Machin (Resortecs), Alain Poincheval (Reju), Anna Pehrsson (TEXAID), Bouraoui Kechiche (DECATHLON), Carl Baekelandt (Concordia Textiles / PurFi), David Puyuelo Huguet (Coleo), Dirk Vantyghem (EURATEX), Félix Poza Peña (INDITEX), Mariska Boer (Boer Group), Outi Luukko (Rester), Véronique Allaire Spitzer (Refashion).

The two-day ReHubs Annual Event featured a dynamic program where ReHubs twenty-five partners to date came together to connect and strengthen relationships, fostering collaboration and the exchange of innovative ideas. Additionally, ReHubs partners received policy updates from EURATEX and their possible implications for the industry and engaged in a discussion with the European Investment Bank on their Venture Debt Program and their Advisory Services.

Chris Deloof commented on the collaborative nature of ReHubs: “The past two days have once again demonstrated the importance of bringing together people with a shared vision and the powerful collaboration that results from it. Thanks to the diverse profiles of the participants, challenges can be discussed from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Only through such collaboration we will achieve our common goal and close the loop.”

As hosts of this year’s Annual Event, Spain-based organisation Coleo provided an exclusive preview of their new state-of-the-art Recycling Sorting Facility to all ReHubs partners. The pre-opening of Coleo’s innovative facility in Mataró was a significant highlight, showcasing their latest advancements in textile sorting and recycling.

Coleo CEO David Puyuelo commented: “Joining ReHubs is a necessary step to continue building the model we believe in. Without relentless collaboration between different brands, companies, and entities, we will not be able to achieve the scale needed to take the necessary steps required by the industry.”

As ReHubs continues to grow, it remains steadfast in its commitment to industrially scale up the collecting, sorting, processing and recycling of textile waste in Europe. ReHubs invites all who are interested in learning more and contributing to our mission to get in touch.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

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.

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.

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.