Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and resource-based manufacturing group Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) jointly established the "RGE-NTU Sustainable Textile Research Centre" (RGE-NTU SusTex) in August 2022, investing S$6 million to focus on textile recycling technology innovation, with the goal of translating laboratory results into solutions deployable in urban environments like Singapore. The centre is housed at NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering and was launched by Singapore's Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu.

The centre's research directions include: lower-energy, cleaner recycling processes focused on cellulosic fabrics (rayon, viscose, cotton), reducing fiber performance loss and remaking textile waste into fibers; combining advanced spectroscopy with machine learning to automatically identify and sort textile waste by fiber composition, and developing automated systems to remove zippers, buttons and other accessories; removing dyes with zero or minimal chlorinated chemicals, and developing more eco-friendly, biodegradable dye alternatives; and finding new uses for textile by-products, developing next-generation eco-friendly and smart textiles with moisture resistance, conductivity, and infrared/UV reflection properties. The project is led by Professor Hu Xiao of NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering.

On the data front, the world generates about 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually, and only 12% of materials used for clothing are recycled; the textile industry accounts for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than international aviation and shipping combined. RGE said that more and more countries are banning imports of waste (including textile waste), while existing recycling technologies rely on heavy chemicals for bleaching and separation, making them difficult to implement in central cities; the group will participate with its 20 years of viscose fiber production experience, S$6 million in funding and global R&D resources, and expects to scale viable solutions across its global operations.

RGE also plans to build a low-carbon, low-chemical-emission, energy-efficient textile recycling pilot plant in Singapore to test the recycling solutions developed by the centre. The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) facilitated the matchmaking between the two parties last year and sees the centre as one of the initiatives advancing its sustainable manufacturing goals.

For the used clothing and textile recycling industry, this collaboration sends a clear signal: recycling technologies for urban scenarios are becoming a focus of R&D and investment, and if the chemical and energy bottlenecks in sorting, decolorization and fiber regeneration can be solved, large-scale supply of recycled fibers and downstream application space are expected to open up.

Source: NTU Singapore and RGE launch S$6 million joint research centre to tackle textile waste · Originally published 2026-09-16