In partnership with Institut für Werkstofftechnik und Kunststoffverarbeitung (IWK), Worn Again, Sulzer and others have succeeded in their joint bid for grant funding from Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency.

The flagship project, called “Towards a NetZero Plastics Industry”, will create a platform for Swiss companies to foster collaboration and drive systemic change within the plastics industry to achieve a sustainable future. Worn Again’s contribution will be focussed on a specific upcycling pathway, converting used textiles into a higher-grade PET which is ideally suited to an important Swiss manufacturing sector, technical parts,

The project, which will start in January 2024 and run through 2028, aligns with Worn Again’s plans to bring online it’s demonstration chemical recycling plant in Winterthur. Worn Again will produce PET for application testing within Sulzer Chemtech’s technology to convert the raw material into advanced foams, and within various injection moulding technologies at IWK’s facility. This activity will be underpinned by ongoing assessment of climate benefits which will feed into a digital decarbonisation tool that IWK will develop for dissemination to Swiss manufacturers.

Toby Moss, Director of Business Development said: “We want to use our demo plant and develop the surrounding value chain as a blueprint for building out the Circular Economy globally. Our clients want our technology to deliver environmental benefit and generate value. In addition to our core fibre-to-fibre offering, by enabling non-textile outcomes for Worn Again’s circular products, our clients can leverage their plants to maximise both outcomes.”

Worn Again, Sulzer and others have already established the Swiss Textile Recycling Ecosystem. This project will create additional mechanisms for these companies to contribute to a circular economy in Switzerland and as a potential blueprint for expanding this new value chain elsewhere.

Worn Again Technologies

Worn Again is the catalyst of a true circular economy for textiles, believing that the only way forward is through better, profitable processes. Worn Again has led the industry for years with a dedicated team of innovators, moving the industry in a new direction in partnership with retailers, manufacturers, and innovators who share Worn Again’s commitment to sustainable materials—and sustainable business growth.

Worn Again’s innovative chemical recycling process reclaims virgin-quality products and returns them to the supply chain. Its scalable process—developed through investment, research, and dedication—allows textile manufacturers to separate and decontaminate PET resin and cellulose from end-of-life textiles. Worn Again enables plant operators to become an essential part of the textile industry’s future, producing superior materials for manufacturers across multiple industries and becoming a solution for an economically fractured part of the supply chain.

With reliable access to reclaimed, virgin-quality synthetic and natural materials, manufacturers can authentically offer high-quality, sustainably made options to their retail buyers. Worn Again guides its partners into the future with a profitable business built around large-scale textile recycling. Everyone, from manufacturers to consumers, will be able to contribute to reducing waste. Within a truly circular economy, everyone helps protect the planet from the mistakes of the past.