LOOM Carbon and RTI International intend to accelerate a credible route to textile circularity that addresses this rapidly growing environmental challenge.
Through the thermal chemical recycling platform, non-recycled and hard-to-recycle textile materials can be converted into materials that are sustainable and carbon-neutral.
Over the 12-month programme, the partners aim to address the issue of global textile waste by scaling LOOM Carbon’s platform. Globally, textile waste is estimated to be over 92m tonnes, of which less than 15% is recycled.
LOOM Carbon CEO Kimberly Landry said: "Together with RTI, Loom is demonstrating that blended textile waste can be recycled into valuable resources. This collaboration moves us from pilot to commercial readiness, proving textile waste is a resource, not a liability."
The collaborative project will utilise RTI International’s Pilot Xcelerator facility, which supports the transition of new technologies from laboratory development to real-world application.
The partners will scale up LOOM Carbon’s system to handle complex textile waste streams, validate the quality of output materials, and advance towards commercial deployment in markets such as Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
LOOM Carbon’s process turns mixed and contaminated textiles into materials that can be used in industrial supply chains, including pigments and materials that replace fossil-based inputs in textiles, plastics, and coatings, as well as carbon materials for use in cement, asphalt, and composites.
The process also generates thermal energy, which can be used to run operations, thereby reducing dependence on external energy sources.
RTI International biofuels director and senior fellow David C. Dayton said: “We are proud to leverage RTI’s world-class Pilot Xcelerator facility as well as our expertise in process engineering and emissions validation to help accelerate a proven, scalable solution to textile waste. Together, we aim to deliver real, sustainable benefits as this technology moves toward commercial deployment.”
