Three Portuguese manufacturers A. Sampaio, RDD Textiles and Tintex are part of an international network developing fabrics ahead of Reju’s planned industrial expansion.
Reju is collaborating with six textile mills across Europe and the United States to develop fabrics using regenerated polyester, bringing manufacturers into its plans to expand textile-to-textile recycling. Announced on 3 November, the network includes Portugal’s A. Sampaio, RDD Textiles and Tintex Textiles, alongside Sweden’s FOV Fabrics, Lithuania’s Utenos Trikotažas and US-based Swisstex Direct.
The projects connect material regeneration with the knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing processes needed to produce fabrics for clothing and other textile applications. For Reju, the objective is to establish manufacturing routes for material expected from its future regeneration hubs, preparing the supply chain alongside the development of recycling infrastructure.
Three Portuguese Mills Join the Development Network
Portugal accounts for half of the participating manufacturers, with each company bringing a different combination of fabric development and production expertise. A. Sampaio specialises in circular-knitted fabrics, while RDD Textiles develops materials from fibres through to finished fabrics, working with recycled, regenerative and bio-based inputs alongside emerging dyeing technologies.
Tintex, based in Vila Nova de Cerveira, produces circular-knitted fabrics for fashion, activewear, loungewear and underwear, with expertise in jersey development, dyeing and finishing. In this context, circular knitting describes a manufacturing technique; it does not, by itself, establish that a textile belongs to a closed-loop recycling system.
The wider network extends the potential applications of Reju’s material. FOV Fabrics develops technical woven fabrics for functional uses, while Utenos Trikotažas combines knitted-fabric production with garment manufacturing. Swisstex Direct, which operates in Los Angeles and El Salvador, contributes knitting, dyeing, finishing and collaborative product development.
Together, the mills provide access to several stages of textile manufacturing. Their involvement creates opportunities to assess how regenerated polyester can be incorporated into different fabric constructions and processed into textiles that meet customer requirements.
Building the Route From Textile Waste to Fabric
Owned by Technip Energies and using technology originating with IBM Research, Reju focuses on regenerating polyester from post-consumer textile waste. The company describes the mill collaborations as ongoing development projects intended to move its regenerated material further along the supply chain.
By bringing mills like these into our ecosystem, we can turn regenerated material into real product.
According to Reju, the projects reflect demand identified through development agreements signed with brands. The announcement does not identify those brands or disclose purchasing commitments, fabric volumes or commercial delivery dates. The work therefore represents preparation for wider adoption, with the eventual scale of supply still to be established.
The collaborations accompany Reju’s plans to expand its regeneration infrastructure. The company has selected Rochester, New York, for its first North American regeneration hub and Lacq, France, for another planned facility. It also cites €135 million in support through the Dutch government’s NIKI funding programme as part of its wider development.
The mills’ role addresses a practical challenge in bringing recycled materials to market. Regeneration technology must be connected to manufacturers capable of processing its output into fabrics with the consistency, performance and finish required for commercial products. Developing those applications alongside future recycling capacity can help establish a route from recovered textiles to new collections.
Reju has not disclosed the regenerated-polyester content of individual fabrics or comparative environmental data for the projects. Production volumes, material specifications and customer commitments will provide a clearer measure of their commercial progress. For now, the six-mill collaboration places fabric development—and the expertise of three Portuguese manufacturers—within the company’s plans to build an industrial textile-to-textile supply chain.
