A project by specialty fibre major Lenzing and pulp producer Södra has received an EU subsidy of €10 million as part of the LIFE 2022 programme to develop the recycling of textile waste on an industrial scale.
- Under the banner of LIFE TREATS (Textile Recycling in Europe AT Scale), both companies are pooling their decades-long experience, knowledge and technology to develop the unique OnceMore process in this project.
- The OnceMore pulp will be used for various purposes, including as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s Tencel branded specialty fibres using Refibra technology.
- This will enable a variety of complex, coloured textiles containing a mixture of cotton, polyester and other components including elastane to be processed and recycled in future.
- Lenzing and Södra joined forces on textile recycling in 2021, making a crucial contribution to the promotion of circularity in the fashion industry.
The E.U. Programme: The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action.
- The aim of LIFE TREATS is to reach an annual processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes of textile waste by 2027.
The OnceMore Project: The next step, which is due to begin in the second quarter of 2023 and will run for four and a half years, will involve the construction and management of a facility for joint process development, as well as an extension of the OnceMore process.
- This will allow 60,000 tonnes of pulp—comprising 50% recycled material and 50% renewable pulp from sustainable forestry—to be produced at Södra’s Swedish plant in Mörrum.
- Committed to complying with the waste hierarchy, Lenzing and Södra’s procurement will be limited to the group of materials that cannot be reused in any other way.
- The project partners’ aim is not to undermine the repurposing of used textiles, but to prevent valuable fibre resources from being sent to landfill or incinerated.
- Moreover, the joint project will make a significant contribution to the EU’s action plan for circularity, which is supported by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
THE BACKDROP: Forthcoming legislation such as the amendment to the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, in addition to increased user responsibility, the decline in export markets for used textiles and evidence of deteriorating quality in collected textiles point to major changes ahead in the treatment of textile waste.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Tackling the problem of textile waste requires a systematic approach, as well as technological solutions on an industrial scale. The LIFE TREATS project therefore follows an integrated approach to achieve real change and reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of the textile industry in the EU and beyond,” she adds.
— Sonja Zak
Head, Textile Sourcing & Cooperations
Lenzing Group
Today only 1% of the world’s textile waste is recycled, putting an enormous burden on the environment. With the help of this significant funding, Södra and Lenzing are ready to provide one of the main solutions in terms of chemical recycling and become the enabler for the circular textile economy. Tackling the problem of textile waste requires a systematic approach, as well as technological solutions on an industrial scale. The LIFE TREATS project therefore follows an integrated approach to achieve real change and reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of the textile industry in the EU and beyond. As the first large-scale project of its kind, LIFE TREATS will have a positive influence on the textile industry as a whole, create new circular business opportunities and increase the share of recycled fibers in new clothing.
— Åsa Degerman
Manager
OnceMore by Södra
