Worn Again Technologies unveils Accelerator plant to advance polycotton recycling

Worn Again Technologies has unveiled its Accelerator plant, marking the next step toward commercializing its textile-to-fiber recycling process and demonstrating the feasibility of polycotton recycling.

Based in the Nottingham, U.K., Worn Again is a textile recycling company specializing in chemical recycling technology which separates polyester and cellulose from mixed end-of-life fabric. The Accelerator plant is located in Winterthur, Switzerland, and showcases Worn Again’s proprietary chemical recycling technology at scale. It also provides a platform for testing the technology’s real-world applications.

Partner companies will be able to evaluate their feedstocks and validate the process across diverse textile streams. A growing network of strategic partners will receive priority access to the Accelerator plant and its circular products. As production capacities continue to grow, Worn Again says it will further develop these partnerships and new ones to deliver binding commitments for supply and offtakes of a planned first commercial scale production plant.

“The fashion industry is at a pivotal point,” Michael Weiss, CEO of Worn Again Technologies, says. “Blended polycottons, once nearly impossible to recycle efficiently, are now being reimagined through our groundbreaking process. This technology maintains material value, minimizes waste and unlocks significant economic opportunities.”

The plant is being delivered in modules, Worn Again says. The first module aims to recover spinnable polyester from waste textiles, including postconsumer polycotton blends sourced from Switzerland, the European Union and the U.K. The recovered circular polyester is expected to be available soon for downstream piloting and product application testing.

The next module, which Worn Again says has entered detailed engineering, will produce next-generation cellulosic fibers and other advanced cellulosic materials. The company says it is progressing toward a full-scale manufacturing facility designed to process significant volumes of textile waste and produce high-value circular products.

“The Accelerator is a critical asset for building towards our first commercial plant,” Toby Moss, chief commercial officer of Worn Again, says. “Testing at this scale will expand our solutions to a broader range of feedstocks, ensuring that we stay ahead by valorizing more material streams and creating a growing portfolio of high-value, downstream product applications.”