Reju, a company specializing in textile-to-textile regeneration, has opened its first proprietary research and development center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, marking a step in the company’s North American expansion and its efforts to commercialize textile recycling technologies.
Located within Technip Energies’ Advanced Materials and Catalysts research center, the new laboratory will support the development and industrial scale-up of Reju’s next-generation circular textile solutions.
Strengthening textile recycling innovation
The center also serves as the new home for Reju’s core research team, which has relocated from IBM’s Almaden Research Center in California. It was there that Reju’s proprietary VolCat depolymerization technology was originally developed – a catalytic chemical recycling process that breaks down polyester textiles into reusable raw materials for new fiber production.
According to Gregory Breyta, the new facility will help move the technology closer to full industrial deployment. “I am excited to join such an innovative company and help drive this technology toward industrialization while building the infrastructure needed to enable true post-consumer textile-to-textile recycling at scale,” Breyta said.
Supporting the full development cycle
The Pennsylvania research center will support every stage of technology development, from early feasibility studies through kilogram-scale production trials, with research activities focused on polyester textile recycling, recycling solutions for blended fabrics, the development of new circular chemistry pathways, and the validation of technologies for future commercial-scale operations. The facility is expected to shorten development timelines while accelerating the transition from laboratory research to industrial application.
Backed by Technip Energies’ industrial expertise
By operating within Technip Energies’ research infrastructure, Reju will gain access to the company’s expertise in catalysis, process engineering, technology integration and industrial scale-up, which the company said is expected to help accelerate commercialization of its recycling technologies.
Building a global circular textile network
The new center forms part of Reju’s broader strategy to establish a global closed-loop textile recycling ecosystem intended to convert post-consumer garments into recycled raw materials. The facility complements Reju’s expanding international network, which includes the Regeneration Hub Zero in Frankfurt, along with planned Regeneration Hubs in Sittard, Lacq, and Rochester. According to the company, these facilities are designed to create a scalable, replicable circular infrastructure to convert textile waste into textile raw materials.
