Worn Again Technologies opens Textile-to-Fibre Accelerator plant in Switzerland
Worn Again Technologies has started operations at a new Textile-to-Fibre Accelerator plant in Winterthur, Switzerland, marking an important step in its efforts to recycle end-of-life textiles into new raw materials. The facility demonstrates the company’s chemical recycling process at a larger scale, showing how polyester and cellulose can be recovered from discarded garments and turned back into usable fibres.
The development comes at a time when textile waste is rising sharply. Global textile production has already surpassed 120 million tonnes per year, yet less than 1% of clothing is currently recycled into new fibres. Much of the challenge lies in blended materials such as polycotton, which combine polyester and cotton and are difficult to separate using conventional recycling methods.
Michael Weiss, CEO of Worn Again Technologies, said the fashion industry must find practical ways to deal with growing textile waste. “Blended polycottons were long considered extremely difficult to recycle efficiently,” he said. “Our process separates these materials so the polyester and cellulose can be reused while maintaining their value.”
Moving from lab research to industrial demonstration
The new Accelerator facility represents the next stage after years of laboratory research and pilot trials. During this period, Worn Again focused on refining the chemistry and engineering behind its recycling process. The company has worked on solvent systems and separation techniques that allow polyester and cellulose fibres to be recovered with high purity.
The process uses multiple solvents to separate different components in complex textiles, including dyes and elastane, which often interfere with traditional recycling methods. More than 95% of the solvents used in the process are recovered and reused, helping reduce material loss.
Since 2024, the company has also successfully spun fibres from the recovered materials, demonstrating that the outputs can meet the quality needed for textile production.
Modular plant design
The Accelerator plant is being installed in phases. The first module focuses on recovering spinnable polyester from waste textiles, including post-consumer polycotton garments collected in Switzerland, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
The resulting circular polyester will soon be available for testing and product development with industry partners. A second module, now in detailed engineering, will focus on producing new cellulosic fibres and other cellulose-based materials from the recovered cotton component.
Preparing for larger-scale production
Beyond demonstrating the process, the Accelerator facility will serve as a testing platform for brands, manufacturers, and waste management companies. Partner organisations will be able to send their textile waste streams for evaluation and gather data on how different materials perform in the recycling process.
According to Toby Moss, Chief Commercial Officer at Worn Again, the plant plays a key role in preparing for commercial production. “The Accelerator is an important step toward our first full-scale manufacturing facility,” he said. “Testing at this scale allows us to work with a wider range of textile waste and develop applications for the recovered materials.”
Worn Again is currently working with a growing group of strategic partners who will have early access to the facility and its recycled outputs. As the company moves toward building its first commercial plant, these partnerships are expected to support supply agreements for waste textiles and offtake agreements for the recycled fibres.
With the Accelerator now operational, the company says it is ready to collaborate with brands, manufacturers, and waste handlers looking for practical solutions to reduce textile waste and bring more circular materials into the fashion supply chain.
