BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (By Steve Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 1.Apr.2026, Words: 375) — Textile-to-textile regeneration company Reju™ has been awarded €135mn in funding under the Netherlands’ Nationale Investeringsregeling Klimaatprojecten Industrie (NIKI) program.
The funding will support Reju’s planned industrial-scale regeneration hub at Chemelot industrial park in Sittard-Geleen, covering both the investment phase and ongoing operations, and represents a critical milestone on the path toward final investment decision.
NIKI is the Dutch government’s flagship program to accelerate large-scale industrial decarbonization and circularity, supporting both national and EU circular economy objectives, Reju announced on 1 Apr. 2026 in an official statement.
Reju’s project is closely aligned with these goals, expanding a textile-to-textile process that converts difficult-to-recycle, polyester-containing textiles into high-quality circular intermediates for new polyester production. By diverting residual textile fractions from landfill and incineration, Reju, aims to materially reduce the environmental impact of textile waste, the textile company said.
The future regeneration hub will process post-consumer textiles that would otherwise enter the waste stream. This regenerated output will be transformed into Reju polyester, delivering approximately 50% lower carbon emissions compared with virgin polyester, according to Reju. The material will then be reintroduced into downstream supply chains, where it will be converted into yarns and fabrics ready for end-use consumer applications.
The project is expected to emphasize industrial integration, energy and resource efficiency, and fully traceable circular supply chains, maximizing the displacement of virgin, fossil-based inputs.
Chemelot industrial park was selected for its established industrial ecosystem, shared utilities and logistics infrastructure, and proximity to innovation and research capabilities. These attributes are expected to support efficient ramp-up, operational reliability, and the replication of the model across future sites.
“We are grateful to the government of the Netherlands and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate for supporting the scale-up of commercial technologies that can deliver measurable emissions reductions and accelerate the transition to a truly circular textile industry,” said Reju CEO Patrik Frisk in the statement. “This award is a strong vote of confidence in our technology and our team. At Chemelot, we will deliver circular raw materials at scale, reduce emissions across textile value chains, and establish a replicable blueprint for circular textiles in Europe.”
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By Steve Stewart reporting from Baton Rouge. © 1999-2026 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.
