French Firm Reju Announces US$ 390M Textile Recycling Plant In NY

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that French textile-to-textile regeneration company Reju will establish a US$ 390 million textile regeneration hub at Eastman Business Park in Rochester, its first facility in North America. The company plans to regenerate polyester textiles and post-consumer PET waste, creating a circular textile economy at scale.

Reju’s 18.9-acre site will house a 145,000 sq. ft. facility, expected to be operational by late 2029. The plant is projected to create around 70 jobs, including engineering, technical, machining, and production roles. Using proprietary technology developed with IBM Research, the facility will convert textile waste into Reju Polyester, which has a 50% lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester and can be recycled multiple times. At full capacity, Reju expects to regenerate the equivalent of 300 million garments annually.

Owned by Technip Energies, Reju currently operates a pilot site in Frankfurt and is developing its first full-scale European plant in the Netherlands. CEO Patrik Frisk said the Rochester hub marks a major step toward building a global circular system and turning post-consumer textile waste into a valuable resource.

To support the project, Empire State Development is providing a US$ 4 million capital grant and offering up to US$ 1 million in Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits tied to job creation. Monroe County, the City of Rochester, and Greater Rochester Enterprise are also assisting.

Governor Hochul said the project demonstrates New York’s commitment to job creation and green innovation, while state officials highlighted its role in advancing circularity and reducing landfill waste. New York generates an estimated 1.4 billion pounds of discarded textiles each year, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The project bolsters ongoing state initiatives aimed at improving textile sustainability, including funding for the Fashion Innovation Center and legislation to expand local fiber-based manufacturing. State and local leaders welcomed Reju, emphasizing Rochester’s legacy of innovation and the continued revitalization of Eastman Business Park, which now hosts over 100 companies employing more than 6,000 people.