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The textile recycling centre is located in Paimio, Southwest Finland, Source: Rester Ltd

Northern Europe’s first textile recycling centre opens in Finland

Northern Europe’s first textile recycling centre opens in Finland

It will process 10% of the country’s annual textile waste

On 2 November, Northern Europe’s first recycling centre for discarded textiles officially opened its doors. Located in the Green Field Hub area in Paimio, the facility brings together the textile recycling company Rester and the waste firm Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto Oy (LSJH) under one roof to refine textiles into recycled fibres.

In a press release, one of the partners explains the duties of each company, noting that Rester will handle the discarded textiles of companies, whereas LSJH will be responsible for the textile waste of households. According to the two firms, the facility will have the capacity to process 10% of Finland’s annual textile waste.

Converting textile waste into fibres

Paimio’s facility will help reduce waste as it will now convert discarded textiles into recycled raw materials from which many products can be made. Giving a few examples, LSJH reports that companies can produce yarn, insulation, filter cloths, etc. It follows then that both Rester and LSJH are urging companies to get involved and understand the processing possibilities of recycled fibres.

“As environmental issues become more topical and regulations in the EU are tightened, it is in the producers’ interest to switch to the use of recycled materials to a large extent. Thanks to the active collaboration between the partners, we can immediately influence the materials’ circular economic share. It is rewarding to be able to participate and use a material that has previously been classified as waste, as a high-quality raw material,” commented Rester’s CEO Outi Luukko.

LSJH’s CEO Jukka Heikkilä echoed Luuko’s statement, noting that the waste firm has collected and sorted the discarded textiles of households since 2015 and investigated the possibilities of recycling them for nearly a decade. Therefore, the inauguration of Northern Europe’s first textile recycling centre is seen as a huge achievement that will undoubtedly influence companies in the region and the creation of similar facilities. 

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