Bestseller, Matterr to advance polyester recycling

Danish fashion group Bestseller has joined forces with German cleantech company Matterr to strengthen polyester recycling and reduce textile waste. Matterr’s technology focuses on recycling hard-to-recycle polyester from worn-out textiles and packaging waste. The partnership follows Matterr’s success in securing a major €30 million grant from the EU’s EFRE/JTF program in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Bestseller’s head of sustainability, Dorte Rye Olsen, praised the collaboration, saying: “Matterr is a young company with a promising solution that can be implemented on a large scale to benefit the entire fashion industry. We believe in the scalability of their technology and the commercial potential it holds, ensuring meaningful long-term impact.”

Matterr’s chemical recycling process transforms polyester-rich waste into high-quality raw materials that match virgin polyester in performance. With financial backing from both the EU and Bestseller, Matterr plans to begin construction of a small-scale industrial plant in 2026.

“Bestseller has clear ambitions to reduce dependence on fossil resources, and recycled polyester is a key element in this journey,” Olsen added. “By investing in innovative recycling technologies, we are working toward a circular fashion system where worn-out garments are continuously reused as raw materials for new clothing.”