€10m grant to grow Lenzing and Södra’s circular system
Fibre producer Lenzing and Swedish forest industry group Södra’s joint recycling project has received a €10 million grant from the European Union.
Though the project LIFE TREATS (Textile Recycling in Europe At Scale), the money will help to grow a recycling system that blends textile waste, creating a pulp called OnceMore, at Södra’s mill at Mörrum, Sweden.
A new plant will blend 50% recycled content with 50% renewable wood from sustainable family forestry in Sweden and will be capable of processing 50,000 tons per year of blended post-consumer textile waste to produce 60,000 tons of textile pulp.
The system will use post-consumer coloured textiles containing a mix of cotton, polyester and other components, including elastane. The project will begin in Q3 2023 and continue for four years.
Åsa Degerman, manager of OnceMore by Södra, said: “While highly-developed systems exist within Europe for collection and sorting of used textiles, these are mainly dedicated to the second-hand business. Upcoming legislation such as the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, Extended User Responsibility, the decline in second-hand export markets and an observed reduction in the quality of collected textiles point to significant changes in the textile-waste handling environment.
“Today only 1% of the world’s textile waste is recycled, putting an enormous burden on the environment. With the help of this significant funding, Södra and Lenzing are ready to provide one of the main solutions in terms of chemical recycling and become the enabler for the circular textile economy.”
Sonja Zak, head of textile sourcing and cooperations at Lenzing, added: “As the first project of its kind at large scale, LIFE TREATS will open new circular business opportunities and increase the proportion of recycled fibres used in new clothing.”
Founded in 1938, Södra is Sweden’s largest forest-owner association, with 51,000 forest owners as its members.
