JEPLAN, Axens, and IFPEN Successfully Demonstrate 'Fiber-to-Fiber' Recycling Process at Semi-Commercial Scale

JEPLAN, Axens, and IFPEN have jointly announced the successful industrial demonstration of the Rewind® PET technology for recycling post-consumer polyester textile waste at a semi-commercial facility in Kitakyushu, Japan (capacity: 1,000 tons per year). Using tens of tons of textile waste collected and pre-processed in France, the partners successfully produced tens of tons of BHET (Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate), a high-quality monomer that serves as an intermediate raw material for polyester. This achievement is a crucial step toward circular polyester in the textile industry, particularly for sports, interior, and luxury sectors. The recycled BHET will be processed back into fibers, fabrics, and apparel. Axens, holding the exclusive license, aims to deploy this technology globally to industrial operators seeking to establish fiber-to-fiber recycling loops. This process allows for the substitution of fossil-based raw materials with recycled ones at existing polyester production sites worldwide. While 60% of global textile production is synthetic fibers like polyester, less than 1% currently comes from fiber-to-fiber recycling. This demonstration provides a robust and scalable technical foundation to address the rapidly growing volume of textile waste.