Closing the loop: How RH Corporation is bringing world-class textile recycling to Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s textile industry is entering a stage where waste management is no longer a side issue but a core business question. As global buyers place greater emphasis on circular sourcing and traceable materials, manufacturers are under growing pressure to rethink how textile waste is handled and how discarded material can be brought back into production. For many, the shift from a linear production model to a circular one still feels distant, shaped by gaps in technology access, fibre preparation expertise, and commercially viable recycling systems. RH Corporation is working to address that gap by connecting Bangladeshi manufacturers with established recycling technologies, specialised components, and recycled fibre sourcing from international markets. In this interview, Eng. A.S.M Hafizur Rahman Nixon, Executive Director, and Minhaz Us Salekin, Deputy Manager, Brand & Retail, Market Development & Sourcing at RH Corporation, discuss the practical steps needed to build a stronger recycling ecosystem for the country’s textile sector.

TexSPACE Today: Can you start by giving us the big picture – what is RH Corporation’s overarching mission in the context of Bangladesh’s textile industry?

Eng. A.S.M Hafizur Rahman Nixon: Our industry is still operating within a linear economy. The next dimension is a circular economy. Right now, all of our work, all of our innovation sourcing is focused on that end: how do we convert waste into resources? Our goal is to ensure that we do not leave behind a footprint for this country or for this planet that the next generation will suffer for. That is the purpose behind building this team.

We are introducing globally emerging innovations specifically in the textile and apparel sector into Bangladesh. Our key criteria are always that something must be genuinely innovative and must ultimately cause no damage to nature, no pollution. When we look at the waste we generate in the garments sector every single year, the question becomes: how do we match that waste to Bangladesh’s existing business portfolio and eventually convert it into something valuable? There are many challenges here, no doubt. If you compare a virgin cotton garment with a recycled garment, they are definitely not the same. But there is enormous scope to work from the design stage onward. I have said this many times, this is not just about machines. Behind every machine there is a man, a designer, a stakeholder, and each of them has a role to play. There is work to be done in spinning, in fibre preparation. Right now we are especially focused on the fibre preparation stage on getting the best possible fibre from waste. That is why we are bringing in machinery and technology, supporting how designs should be structured. There is still a great deal of work ahead in this sector. At the moment, we are growing awareness, speaking with various stakeholders, and trying to bring the best solutions to market.

TexSPACE Today: Tell us about the machinery and technology solutions RH Corporation is presenting. Who are your key supply partners?

Minhaz Us Salekin: RH Corporation has been working as a recycling pioneer in Bangladesh for the past several years. Our focus has been on reducing the gap between the recycling technologies available globally and what local manufacturers in Bangladesh can actually access and use.

To that end, we are introducing high-end recycling machinery from several top-tier suppliers covering both post-consumer and pre-consumer waste segments. Our main machinery partner is the Italian company DELL’ORCO & VILLANI – a world-renowned name, very well established in the European market. In fact, most of the recycled fibre suppliers operating in Europe today use DELL’ORCO machinery.

For the cutting side of the line, we are bringing in machinery from Pierret  – a true pioneer in cutting technology. In recycling, cutting is critically important because the cut length directly determines the quality of the final fibre. The full DELL’ORCO line we are offering includes a blending box, steering line, metal detector with all safety features, dust cleaner, and bale press – a comprehensive, complete package. This particular configuration is designed for post-consumer recycling.

TexSPACE Today: What about pre-consumer recycling? Does your offering cover that segment as well?

Minhaz Us Salekin: Yes, absolutely. For the pre-consumer segment, we are also offering a full recycling line. This line operates with approximately 11 drums and allows processors to handle cotton and CVC recycling. Several units have already been installed in Bangladesh.

What distinguishes our line from other recycling lines on the market is the integration of special features. For example, the ability to control individual drums independently that option is built in. Additionally, in the DELL’ORCO line, we have introduced a bypass system, which allows material to be extracted after specific tearing stages without going through the entire line. These are the kinds of advanced features we bring to the table that others typically do not offer.

TexSPACE Today: You also mentioned tearing drum pins. Why are those worth highlighting separately?

Minhaz Us Salekin: The pins are the heart of the tearing line. They are what actually tears the waste material and converts it into fibre. So the quality and lifetime expectancy of the pins is an enormous factor in the economics of recycling. The better the pin material, the better your output both in quality and in how long you can run before replacement.

We source these pins from European company Texpin, a specialist European supplier. We are also sourcing spiked aprons from the leading European pin supplier for the carding room and blow room used across all relevant machine types. In addition to that, we supply conveyor belts that are currently considered leading components in the European industry. So we are covering the hardware support layer of these machines as well, not just the machines themselves.

TexSPACE Today: Beyond machinery and components, are you also involved in sourcing recycled fibre itself for Bangladeshi manufacturers?

Minhaz Us Salekin: Yes. We are also supplying recycled fibre directly into Bangladesh. On the fibre side, we work with suppliers in the US and Europe. The European market is particularly important for us to connect to right now because new sourcing trends are emerging things like “Fibre from France” where buyers in Europe specifically want recycled material that is traceable back to European origin. So we are actively bringing European-recycled fibre into Bangladesh for manufacturers who want to position for those markets.

These are fibres where the post-consumer collection happens over there in the US or Europe and they supply us the processed fibre. Post-consumer collection in those markets is far more mature and accessible than in Bangladesh at this point, which makes sourcing from there very practical.

TexSPACE Today: What about recycled polyester? Is that part of your portfolio as well?

Minhaz Us Salekin: Yes. Apart from recycled cotton fibre, we are also working on recycled polyester, for which demand in Bangladesh is gradually increasing. Bangladesh has historically been a cotton-dominant market, but that is shifting – the industry is being pushed toward more versatile fibre and fabric mixes. As that transition happens, recycled polyester becomes more relevant, and we want to be ready to support manufacturers making that move.

So overall whether you need machinery, components, or fibre,  if you are looking for any kind of recycling solution, we hope that RH Corporation will be able to provide it for you.