Tim Cross, CEO, SATCoL, has launched an innovative project to recycle polyester waste from discarded garments and other textiles into polyester pellets to be spun into yarn and re-used by the fashion and textiles industries. In the UK alone, 300,000 tons of textile items, including polyester, are discarded into household waste annually. Previously, polyester with no remaining utility would have been simply disposed of, he adds.

This polyester waste from discarded garments and textiles are being converted into polyester pellets at the SATCoL processing center in Kettering, Northamptonshire.  These pellets will later be transformed into yarn and reused by the fashion and textiles industries.

 This initiative will help SATCoL salvage that waste and reintegrate it into supply chains. It will help the company save carbon and contributes significantly to our collective journey towards Net Zero.

Titled, Re:claim, the project will  recycle 2,500 tons of polyester waste this year, with plans to further increase this figure to 5,000 tons in its second year of operation. These pellets are expected to be incorporated into manufacturing processes for new products by late 2024.

Majonne Frost, Head-Environment and Sustainability, SATCoL, remarks, this partnership combines the extensive collection and processing capabilities of The Salvation Army with the cutting-edge technology developed by Project Plan B and Pure Loop. The collaboration will introduce new solutions at services at slace, fostering a textile circular economy, she adds.