A semi-industrial demonstration plant in Japan has successfully produced BHET—the base monomer for 100% recycled polyester—from dozens of tonnes of post-consumer textile waste sourced from Europe. The project uses a chemical recycling technology called Rewind® PET, which had previously been commercialized in PET packaging recycling, including food-contact-grade feedstock. This textile-to-textile test used several tonnes of post-consumer PET and is one of the first such tests conducted under representative industrial conditions.

Key points

  • The demonstration plant has an annual capacity of 1,000 metric tons (1,102 US tons) and is operated by JEPLAN in Japan as part of a semi-industrial demonstration unit under a three-party collaboration between Axens, IFPEN, and JEPLAN.
  • The post-consumer textile waste was sorted and pre-treated in France, and the feedstock scale used in the test was "several dozen metric tons."
  • Pierre-Franck Chevet, President and CEO of IFPEN, said Rewind PET applies more than 10 years of research results in service of an ambitious circular economy.
  • The designed annual capacity target for a commercial plant is 150 to 200 thousand metric tons (about 165,000 to 220,000 US tons).

According to an April announcement, the next step after this production is to convert the resulting material into polyester yarn, fabric, and garments.

IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN) is a public research, innovation, and training organization focused on energy, transport, and the environment. It is advancing the Rewind PET technology together with Axens and JEPLAN, with JEPLAN operating the semi-industrial demonstration plant. This test marks the entry of chemical recycling technology into the industrial validation stage for closed-loop utilization of textile waste.

From an industry perspective, if the technology is subsequently scaled up to commercial scale and successfully connects the chain from yarn and fabric to finished garments, it will provide another chemical pathway for post-consumer textile waste beyond downcycling and mechanical recycling. At present, its designed commercial capacity target is more than a hundred times that of the demonstration plant, but the specific start-up timing and business model have not yet been disclosed in the announcement.

Source: Plant produces postconsumer recycled BHET · Originally published on 2026-10-01