Worn Again Technologies launches pilot R&D facility at CPI

The pilot plant is designed to validate and develop Worn Again Technologies’ proprietary process which separates, decontaminates and extracts PET polymer and cellulose (from cotton) from nonreusable textiles and PET bottles and packaging to go back into supply chains as raw materials to become new products as part of a continual cycle. 

Worn Again Technologies’ state of the art process and pilot plant has been designed and built with the help of leading equipment providers. The purpose of the plant is to develop further process data, knowledge and understanding to enable the business to set the technical parameters and scale the engineering design, as a step to industrialization. CPI was chosen as a facility to host the plant in view of the technical excellence it provides to help accelerate technologies to market. Nick Ryan, Worn Again Technologies’ Technology Director comments: ​“The pilot is a significant step in developments as it will allow us to confirm and further optimise the different steps in the process in one unit, accelerating our engineering development to the next step of a demonstrator plant.” 

Cyndi Rhoades, Founder of Worn Again Technologies says: ​“It is exciting to have progressed our developments from lab to plant. While there is still a long road ahead, it’s the next tangible step getting us closer to a scalable, commercially viable industrial process that will enable the move away from using finite virgin resources to the circularity of raw materials.” 

Kris Wadrop, Director of Biotechnology CPI ​“CPI is delighted to host the Worn Again Technologies pilot plant within our scale-up facilities at Wilton, Redcar. Supporting a company at the forefront of the Circular Economy promoting sustainable fashion by using the strengths of the chemical industry on Teesside is an ideal combination and part of the reason CPI exists’’ 

The team, coordinated by Worn Again Technologies’ Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Adam Walker, began working with CPI on the commissioning of the pilot in Q4 2019. The apparatus will be run with a rigorous, disciplined scientific process to meet the needs of the market and customers’ high 

expectations. Experimentation will include testing of the process using various inputs to understand the yield and quality impact on the product.

About CPI:

CPI is an independent technology innovation centre and a founding member of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Founded in 2004, CPI applies its years of experience across a broad range of industries to ensure that every great invention gets the best opportunity to become a successfully marketed product. 

CPI’s integrated approach provides its partners with a unique combination of assets, expertise and skills to drive successful innovation. With a deep understanding of innovation processes and funding, outstanding technical expertise and industry-relevant assets, CPI enables products and processes to be quickly and cost-effectively brought to market. By employing bright minds from both academia and industry, CPI helps create a bespoke team that will provide the right support, helping you to navigate the route to commercialisation while reducing risk along the way.

We form connections throughout the supply chain, bringing together investors, government organisations and academic institutions to facilitate the necessary partnerships for effective innovation. This increases productivity across industries and supports the development of next-generation manufacturing, highly-skilled jobs and economic growth for the UK. 

About Worn Again Technologies:

Worn Again Technologies was founded in East London in 2005, with a vision for a waste free world where all textiles resources are kept in constant circulation, driving positive economic, social and environmental benefits. Today its pioneering polymer recycling technology, which began developments in 2012, is being brought to life by a world-class team and strategic partners who have a shared ambition to fast track this vision. Worn Again Technologies has valued investors including H&M, Sulzer Chemtech one of the world’s largest chemical engineering companies, Mexico based Himes Corporation a garment manufacturer and Directex, a textiles producer as well as the support of influential brands and partners, such as Kering, ASICS Europe, Sympatex, Dibella and Dhana. 

In November 2017, Worn Again Technologies was invited to become part of the Fashion for Good scaling programme and in 2018, the company was awarded a grant to become the first chemical recycling technology to be Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified as well as being named one of the LAUNCH Circular Innovators for 2018. In 2019 Worn Again Technologies was awarded the ANDAM Innovation Prize and ​‘One to Watch’ at Global Good Awards. Also in 2019, Founder Cyndi Rhoades was awarded the PCIAW Outstanding Contribution to the Textile Industry and was a finalist for The Circular Economy Awards, Leadership award.