A new collaboration aims to accelerate the commercial-scale recycling of blended textiles.
On Wednesday, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with Spanish finishing technology firm Jeanologia and U.S. textile-to-textile recycling specialist Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem. The tripartite initiative unites HKRITA with Jeanologia as the first official machinery partner and Looptworks as a prospective adopter.
HKRITA’s Green Machine 4.0, the newest iteration of its pioneering hydrothermal recycling technology, is at the center of the ecosystem. Green Machine 4.0 recovers polyester at 98 percent or higher purity from cotton-polyester textiles. The whole process uses only heat, water and a small amount of green chemical.
The technology has been applied to the production of H&M Group’s Monki brand and Turkish denim mill Isko.
Through this collaboration, Jeanologia will deliver “industry-ready machinery engineered to European standards that meets the CE high-pressure requirement, enabling seamless integration and streamlined logistics.” Meanwhile, B-Corp Looptworks will transform pre- and post-consumer textiles into high-quality GRS-certified fibers.
The collaboration represents a shift from research-driven innovation to proven, adoptionscalable deployment. The partners highlighted that the cross-industry collaboration supports large-scale recycling across diverse settings and provides a viable pathway for circular transformation.
Begoña García, Jeanologia global director of sustainable innovation, Jake Koh, HKRITA CEO and Scott Hamlin, founder and CEO of Looptworks
Ben Pipe Photography
Looptworks and HKRITA have worked together for over a decade to research and further develop textile circularity innovations. Scott Hamlin, founder and CEO of Looptworks said the Green Machine represents a “shining example” of what is possible for textile recycling.
“Blended materials have long been a major barrier to circularity, and this technology enables us to effectively realize their value at scale. By reintroducing recovered fibers into the supply chain, we are proving that circular solutions are both environmentally practical and economically viable,” he said.
Jake Koh, HKRITA’s chief executive officer, emphasized how the circular economy is no longer a distant goal—it is here. “True innovation is defined by real-world impact, and today we are making it a reality,” he said.
The partnership brings Jeanologia into the textile-to-textile recycling space. For the last 25 years, the company has transformed the denim industry through laser, ozone and other sustainable finishing technologies.
“At Jeanologia, we believe recycling must become part of the industry’s pre-competitive space, where companies work together to create solutions that no single organization can achieve alone,” said Enrique Silla, Jeanolgia CEO and founder. “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.”
