Reju selects Lacq for first French textile regeneration hub
France is set to host a major new facility focused on turning discarded textiles back into usable raw materials, as Reju confirms Lacq as the location for its first industrial-scale Regeneration Hub in the country.
The site will be built on the Induslacq platform in Lacq, within Pyrénées-Atlantiques, marking a further expansion of the France-based company owned by Technip Energies.
Addressing a growing textile waste problem
Globally, around 121 million tonnes of textiles are discarded each year. Only about 1 percent is recycled into new garments. Most materials are landfilled or incinerated, placing pressure on waste systems and increasing emissions tied to production and disposal.
Reju’s approach focuses on recovering value from post-consumer textiles, starting with polyester, which makes up a large share of global fiber use.
How the Lacq facility will work
The new plant will process textile waste collected from national streams and convert it into rBHET, a regenerated intermediate material used to produce polyester. That material will then be repolymerized into Reju PET for new textile applications.
The operation will rely on Reju’s depolymerization technology, developed with support from IBM Research, and backed by Technip Energies’ engineering capabilities.
The hub will be located on the Induslacq platform, owned by TotalEnergies.
Supporting France’s circular industry plans
The project is aligned with France’s push to expand circular, low-carbon manufacturing. If approved through the final investment decision by Technip Energies’ board, the facility is expected to create about 80 direct jobs and more than 300 indirect roles in the region.
Local development agency Chemparc, which works with state authorities and regional partners, supported the site selection and views the project as a step toward building a dedicated textile-to-textile value chain.
Building a broader European network
The Lacq hub will become part of a growing international footprint. Reju already operates a pilot site, Regeneration Hub Zero, in Frankfurt, and has announced further projects in Chemelot, Sittard-Geleen and at Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York.
By linking these sites, the company aims to scale a system that can trace materials from waste collection back into new fiber production, helping close the loop on polyester use.
Collaboration across the recycling ecosystem
Reju is also involved in industry initiatives and technical groups including ReHubs, Petcore, and Evolen, working to align recycling infrastructure with emerging European requirements on traceability and material recovery.
A step toward scaling textile-to-textile recycling
The Lacq project signals a move from pilot-scale experimentation to industrial deployment. By anchoring regeneration capacity within existing chemical and industrial infrastructure, the model aims to make textile-to-textile recycling part of mainstream manufacturing rather than a niche process.
