Erema Invests In Australian Startup To Scale Textile-To-Textile Recycling
Austrian recycling technology leader Erema Group has made a strategic investment in Brisbane-based startup BlockTexx, aiming to scale post-consumer textile-to-textile recycling to industrial levels. The announcement was made at the K fair in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Founded in 2018, BlockTexx has developed a world-first technique to convert mixed polyester-cotton fabrics into reusable plastic flakes and cellulose. Its Queensland plant currently processes 10,000 tonnes of fabric annually, with plans for a second plant capable of handling 50,000 tonnes.
“Blended textiles like cotton-polyester make up over 60% of global apparel production but are extremely difficult to recycle due to fibre incompatibility and chemical contamination,” said BlockTexx co-founder Adrian Jones. “Erema Group’s investment brings not only capital but also proven technology, expertise and infrastructure.”
Erema CEO Manfred Hackl highlighted the scale of the opportunity, “The PET fibre industry is three times the size of the PET bottle industry. With the technology we provide for PET fibre recycling, our next step is full-scale industrial textile recycling. BlockTexx is a key partner in this vision.”
BlockTexx’s SOFT process will supply polyester to Erema’s INTAREMA FibrePro:IV system, producing recycled pellets suitable for new garment production. Hackl added, “Twenty-five years ago, bottle-to-bottle recycling was unimaginable. Today it is standard. The same will happen for textile-to-textile recycling.”
Erema employs over 690 people and recycles 20 million tonnes of plastic pellets annually, with revenues of €320 million in 2022/23.
