The joint venture between the Salvation Army and Project Plan B began operations earlier this year and is the first commercial-scale, post-consumer polyester recycling plant of its kind.
Project Reclaim, a new solution to the issue of polyester textile waste has opened in Kettering, Northamptonshire, in what will be a big step in the recycling of post-consumer garments and other textiles.
Installed in January 2024, the machine is now fully operational and sees polyester pellets produced from polyester waste.
The polyester pellets are then spun into yarn for use in textiles along with other industrial applications and are expected to be integrated into the manufacturing processes of new products in the near future.
By the end of 2024, it is estimated that the plant would have recycled 2,500 tonnes of unwanted polyester with a further 5,000 tonnes in 2025.
Tim Cross, CEO of Project Plan B, praised the project as a way to “return [waste] to supply chains”.
“In the UK alone, 300,000 tonnes of textile items are discarded into household waste, including polyester. Up until now, polyester that had no useful life left would have been disposed of.
“With this project, we can now save that waste and return it to supply chains. It’s a carbon saving, planet saving solution, and it plays a significant role in helping our collective journey to Net Zero,” he said.
The fashion industry has long struggled since its inception to design textiles with ‘end of life’ in mind, but it is hoped this new solution will see clothes designed for purpose, without any compromise to fashion, performance or the environment.
Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) have set up the new technology at one of their processing centres.
Majonne Frost, Head of Environment and Sustainability at SATCoL, said: “This partnership brings together the large-scale collection and processing capabilities of The Salvation Army, with the cutting-edge technology developed by Project Plan B and PURE LOOP. Together we are working together to bring new solutions and services, at scale, that will help create a textile circular economy.”