A Textile-to-Fibre Accelerator plant designed to recycle polycotton textiles has begun operating in Winterthur, Switzerland. Developed by Worn Again Technologies, the facility demonstrates a chemical recycling process that separates polyester and cellulose from end-of-life garments. The installation enables industry partners to test feedstocks and generate operational data as the company prepares for its first commercial textile recycling plant.
- The Accelerator facility, unveiled late last week, marks the transition of Worn Again’s recycling technology from laboratory development to industrial demonstration.
- The proprietary process uses multiple solvents to separate polyester and cellulose from complex textile waste streams, including materials containing dyes and elastane.
- More than 95% of the solvents used in the recycling system are recovered during processing, reinforcing the environmental responsibility of the recycling system.
- The first module of the plant is designed to recover spinnable polyester from post-consumer polycotton waste sourced from Switzerland, the EU and the UK, as the industry grapples with a system where less than 1% of clothing is recycled despite global textile production exceeding 120 million tonnes annually.
SCALING THE RECYCLING PROCESS: The Accelerator facility marks the operational phase where Worn Again Technologies begins running its textile recycling system beyond laboratory settings. The installation allows the company to operate the process under industrial conditions and verify how the technology performs when processing post-consumer textile waste, providing early operational validation before moving towards full commercial-scale deployment.
- The plant is being delivered in modules so that different elements of the recycling system can be commissioned, tested and expanded progressively.
- The first module processes post-consumer polycotton blends sourced from Switzerland, the EU and the UK as part of the plant’s initial operational module.
- The recovered material, described as circular polyester, will be supplied for downstream piloting and product application testing.
- A subsequent module, currently in detailed engineering, will produce next-generation cellulosic fibres and other advanced cellulosic materials.
INSIDE THE SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY: The recycling system is designed to separate fibre components from blended textile waste that conventional recycling methods struggle to process. Through a sequence of chemical treatments, the process isolates and regenerates polyester and cellulose while managing contaminants commonly present in complex textile materials and post-consumer textile streams.
- The technology uses a multi-solvent approach that allows fibre separation even when textile waste contains dyes, elastane and other additives.
- The chemical system has been refined through process chemistry and engineering work aimed at improving recovery efficiency and material purity.
- The recycling system incorporates solvent recovery loops designed to minimise chemical losses during the fibre separation process.
- The company reports that fibres have been successfully spun from recovered outputs since 2024, demonstrating material quality suitable for textile applications.
- Ongoing scale-up engineering is intended to achieve operational efficiencies that were not possible during earlier laboratory-stage testing.
PREPARING FOR COMMERCIAL SCALE: The Accelerator installation is intended to serve as a testing platform as Worn Again Technologies prepares for commercial-scale recycling operations. By running the process under operational conditions, partner companies will be able to evaluate feedstocks and validate the recycling process across different textile waste streams.
- Partner companies will be able to supply feedstocks and assess how the recycling system performs across varied textile compositions and waste streams.
- The trials are expected to generate operational data that will guide engineering decisions for a planned commercial manufacturing facility.
- A growing network of strategic partners will receive priority access to the Accelerator installation and the recycled outputs produced during testing.
- As production capacity increases, the company plans to develop supply agreements and offtake commitments linked to the first commercial-scale production plant.
- With the Accelerator now operational, Worn Again says it is open for business and ready to work with brands, manufacturers and waste handlers interested in large-scale textile recycling initiatives.
WHAT THEY SAID
The fashion industry is at a pivotal point. Blended polycottons, once nearly impossible to recycle efficiently, are now being reimagined through our groundbreaking process. This technology maintains material value, minimises waste, and unlocks significant economic opportunities.
— Michael Weiss
CEO
Worn Again Technologies
The Accelerator is a critical asset for building towards our first commercial plant. Testing at this scale will expand our solutions to a broader range of feedstocks, ensuring that we stay ahead by valorising more material streams and creating a growing portfolio of high-value, downstream product applications.
— Toby Moss
Chief Commercial Officer
Worn Again Technologies
