The French textile recycling company Reju recently announced that it has selected Lacq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department as the location for its first industrial-scale recycling center. The facility will be built on the Induslacq industrial platform. As a subsidiary of Technip Energies, Reju is increasing its investment in circular textile solutions and local industrial innovation.
Globally, approximately 121 million tons of textile waste are generated each year, but only about 1% is recycled to make new clothing, with the majority of the rest being landfilled or incinerated. Facing this environmental challenge, Reju focuses on transforming textile waste into recycled raw materials for producing new fabrics.
The Lacq center will employ Reju's proprietary depolymerization technology to convert post-consumer textiles into rBHET, a recycled material that can be repolymerized into Reju PET, suitable for new polyester production. With engineering support from Technip Energies, the center is expected to create 80 direct jobs and over 300 indirect positions.
"This French recycling center is based on our strategy to industrialize the circular post-consumer textile-to-textile model," said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. "By leveraging France's ambitious circular economy agenda and bringing our technology to new markets, we are strengthening our mission to transform textile waste into valuable circular resources."
The project, pending final approval from the Technip Energies board of directors, will help position France as a leader in circular, low-carbon industrial innovation while fostering new local industries. The center aligns with Reju's global expansion plans, including the Recycling Center Zero in Frankfurt, the Chemelot site in the Netherlands, and a planned center at the Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York, USA.
The new facility will be located on the Induslacq platform, owned by TotalEnergies. Audrey Le-Bars, CEO of Chemparc, stated: "Chemparc, as a development agency supported by the state, local authorities, and industry, is pleased to announce that Lacq has been chosen as the location for Reju's first recycling center in France. This decision highlights the attractiveness of our industrial basin and reflects the catalytic role of our public interest group. In line with our industrial strategy, this decision marks a new step in the development of a low-carbon circular economy. CHEMPARC is committed to continuing to support the success of this industrial project in the Lacq basin with diligence and energy."
Through this initiative, Reju aims to build scalable circular infrastructure in France and Europe, achieve textile-to-textile traceability, and close the loop on fiber use.
