Blended-textile recycling: Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem established
The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), Jeanologia, and Looptworks, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.
(From left) Begoña García, Jeanologia Global Director of Sustainable Innovation, Jake Koh, CEO of HKRITA, Scott Hamlin, Founder and CEO of Looptworks, at the MoU signing ceremony.
Bringing together cutting-edge innovation, industrial machinery expertise, and real-world adoption, this tripartite initiative unites HKRITA with Jeanologia as the first official machinery partner and Looptworks as a prospective adopter.
The partnership signals a decisive shift from research-driven innovation to practical, scalable deployment with industry support, creating a complete and actionable pathway for circular transformation.
Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem
At the center of this ecosystem is HKRITA's latest Green Machine 4.0, the newest iteration of its pioneering hydrothermal recycling technology. This advanced version recovers polyester at 98% or higher purity from cotton-polyester textiles without harmful processes.
Through this collaboration, Jeanologia contributes by delivering industry-ready machinery engineered to European standards that meets the CE high-pressure requirement, enabling seamless integration and streamlined logistics.
“By combining HKRITA's innovation, Jeanologia's industrial engineering and textile bleaching expertise, and Looptworks' operational deployment, we are creating a model that can help make circularity a reality at industrial scale,” said Enrique Silla, CEO and Founder of Jeanologia.
Meanwhile, Looptworks, a Certified B-Corp recycling specialist, transforms diverse pre- and post-consumer textiles into high-quality GRS-certified fibers. This cross-industry collaboration supports expandable industrial implementation across diverse settings, enabling the industry to execute circular solutions at scale.
“Blended materials have long been a major barrier to circularity, and this technology enables us to effectively realise their value at scale. By reintroducing recovered fibres into the supply chain, we are proving that circular solutions are both environmentally practical and economically viable,” commented Scott Hamlin, Founder and CEO of Looptworks.
Bringing scalable circular textile transformation
By integrating scientific innovation, engineering excellence, and operational deployment, the Green Machine ecosystem provides a viable pathway for circular transformation.
This initiative empowers textile recyclers to process previously unrecyclable materials and unlock new revenue streams, while enabling fashion brands to incorporate recycled fibers into their supply chains in commercial volumes.
It also supports manufacturers in adopting more sustainable production models, helping all stakeholders close the loop on textile waste and reduce dependence on virgin resources.
Why is this collaboration on blended textiles recycling important?
In the broader narrative of sustainable fashion, large-scale recycling of blended textiles remains a pain point in the industry. It is one thing to make the technology work, but it is much harder to make it commercially viable at industrial scale.
What makes this latest development so compelling is how three specialized organizations East Asia, North America, and Europe have seamlessly pieced their circular technologies into a complete commercial puzzle.
HKRITA brings its next-generation hydrothermal recycling technology to the table, Jeanologia provides European-standard mechanical equipment, and Looptworks processes the recovered materials into premium fibers. Together, they have built a fully integrated closed-loop system for blended textiles.
This three-way partnership demonstrates that scaling circular fashion requires global teamwork and deep supply-chain cooperation. This type of collaboration is exactly what Circular Resources and Recycling Expo (CRRE) consistently promotes. Having closely collaborated with HKRITA in the past, the organizers of CRRE is currently exploring new partnership opportunities for the upcoming expo.