Ence and Swedish start-up ShareTex sign MoU with aim to construct a pilot plant for textile recycling in As Pontes, Spain

Ence - Energía y Celulosa and the Swedish start-up ShareTex have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim to construct a pilot plant to further verify the textile recycling technology developed by ShareTex. 

The initiative is part of the recycling bioplant project that Ence will launch in the town of As Pontes, located in the A Coruña region. The bioplant will not be based on wood, but recovered fibers, and it will be self-sufficient in renewable energy and will have minimal water consumption, which is in line with Ence's commitment to minimize consumption of natural resources. Moreover, this bioplant will be located on industrial land, which was previously occupied by a thermal power plant, in such a way that it will not affect natural spaces or habitats. 

The textile recycling project will use a new technology, already tested on a laboratory scale, which offers clear advantages over other chemical recycling technologies that are also currently in development, so that this type of waste can be managed more sustainably.

The possibility to recycle fiber blends such as polycotton is among the main advantages of this technology, since this expands the range of textiles that can be recycled. Likewise, this new technology does not require drastic pressure or temperature conditions, nor does it use toxic solvents.

The process will use post-consumer waste collected in the region as well as waste from mechanical recycling of textiles to give new life to these materials. As a result, textile fibers will be obtained and integrated again into the textile value chain or into high-value products. 

Ence, with other actors in Galicia, is also in the process of establishing a consortium to promote R&D in the recycling of this type of waste. Thus, from As Pontes, Ence will promote research and innovation of alternative or complementary processes in this value chain, promoting the circular economy from and for Galicia. 

Through this innovative project, Ence demonstrates its firm commitment to sustainability and Galicia. Moreover, the project represents the first step in the scaling and industrialization of the technology developed by ShareTex, marking an important milestone in the verification and commercialization of cutting-edge research in the field of textile recycling.