Worn Again Technologies continues enabling a Circular Economy for Switzerland

Worn Again Technologies is taking strides in promoting a Circular Economy in Switzerland. Through a collaboration with the Institut für Werkstofftechnik und Kunststoffverarbeitung (IWK), Sulzer, and other partners, the company has successfully secured grant funding from Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency.

This initiative is named “Towards a NetZero Plastics Industry” and aims to establish a platform where Swiss companies can join forces to catalyse transformative change in the plastics industry, with the goal of fostering a sustainable future. Worn Again’s specific focus within this project is on upcycling used textiles into high-quality PET, a material ideally suited for key sectors in Swiss manufacturing, particularly technical parts.

Scheduled to commence in January 2024 and continue until 2028, this project aligns with Worn Again’s plans to launch its demonstration chemical recycling plant in Winterthur. The company will produce PET for testing purposes, which will be applied in Sulzer Chemtech’s cutting-edge foam production technology, as well as various injection moulding processes at IWK’s facility.

Throughout this endeavour, ongoing assessments of environmental benefits will be conducted, providing valuable data for a digital decarbonisation tool that IWK intends to develop and share with Swiss manufacturers.

Toby Moss, Director of Business Development, expressed, “We aim to utilise our demonstration plant and develop the entire value chain as a model for establishing a Circular Economy on a global scale. Our clients seek environmental sustainability and value generation from our technology. In addition to our core offering of transforming fibres into fibres, enabling diverse applications for Worn Again’s circular products empowers our clients to optimise their operations and outcomes.”

Worn Again, Sulzer, and their partners have already laid the foundation for the Swiss Textile Recycling Ecosystem. This latest project will introduce additional avenues for these companies to contribute to the circular economy in Switzerland, potentially serving as a blueprint for expanding this innovative value chain to other regions.