Renaissance Textile, based in Laval, France, has successfully started up a complete textile recycling line, delivered, installed, and commissioned by Andritz Laroche.

The textile recycling equipment has enabled Renaissance to become the first French recycling platform dedicated to industrial end-of-life textiles. The project aims to produce new fibres from the collected post-consumer apparel which will the be used to weave new recycled fabrics.

The new 12,000-square-metre plant is equipped with a complete tearing line with its unique design has resulted from a close collaboration between R&D specialists from Andritz Laroche and Renaissance , as well as customised trials carried out jointly by the two parties at the Andritz technical centre in Cours, France.

The new clothing produced based on this circular economy model reflects a larger effort to decarbonise the textile industry in the fight against global warming, but also provide autonomy in raw material sourcing and the promotion of local staffing, particularly for people who have been unemployed for a long time or are seeking to enter the labour market for the first time.

By 2025 Renaissance plans to create 110 direct jobs.

“Our first recycling line is dedicated to white polycotton textiles that mainly come from the healthcare and food processing industries,” said Nicolas Nojac, director of Renaissance Textile. “This equipment enables us to recycle 3,000 tons of textiles every year, representing ten million items of clothing. We also plan to install two additional lines by the end of 2023 and 2025 respectively, to enlarge the range of recycled textiles by adding different colours and fibres.”

www.andritz.com