Reju secures €135 million to scale textile recycling at Chemelot
Reju has been awarded €135 million through the Nationale Investeringsregeling Klimaatprojecten Industrie (NIKI), a Dutch government initiative designed to accelerate industrial decarbonization and circular production.
The funding will support the development of Reju’s planned Regeneration Hub at the Chemelot Industrial Park, covering both construction and operational costs as the facility scales up.
NIKI is the Netherlands’ main investment program for large industrial climate projects. It supports initiatives that reduce emissions while helping industries transition toward circular systems. Reju’s project fits within this framework by expanding a textile-to-textile process that turns difficult-to-recycle polyester textiles into new circular materials.
Today’s textile system still follows a linear model. Raw materials are extracted, turned into products, and often discarded after use. Less than 1% of textiles are recycled back into new textiles. Most end up in landfills or are incinerated.
Reju’s approach focuses on recovering value from materials that already exist. The planned Regeneration Hub will process post-consumer textiles that would otherwise enter the waste stream. Through its regeneration process, these materials are converted into circular intermediates that can be used to produce new polyester.
The output, known as Reju Polyester, is expected to carry roughly 50% lower carbon emissions compared with virgin polyester. The material can then move through existing supply chains, where it is turned into yarns, fabrics, and eventually finished consumer products.
Projects like this aim to address a key challenge in textile recycling. The issue is not simply the availability of materials. Large volumes of textiles already circulate globally. The challenge lies in building systems that can collect, process, and reintroduce those materials at scale.
Infrastructure plays a central role in that shift. Facilities such as the planned Chemelot hub are designed to connect waste streams, recycling technology, and manufacturing supply chains in one continuous loop.
The NIKI funding helps move the project from planning to implementation. Construction and operational support will allow Reju to expand its regeneration technology and demonstrate how large-scale textile recycling can function within existing industrial ecosystems.
