KIPAS Textiles, one of Europe’s largest fully integrated textile manufacturers, has introduced fibR-e, a new recycling platform aimed at solving the long-standing challenges that have stopped polyester from becoming a fully circular material. This project is the result of a long-term partnership between KIPAS and several specialist companies, with Meltem Kimya providing the molecular recycling technology that powers the platform.

fibR-e offers brands a practical solution. Meltem Kimya recycles post-consumer garments containing at least 70 percent polyester, including polyester-elastane fabrics and other mixed-fibre blends. Clothes with attached trims and mixed colours are converted into high-quality, GRS-certified rTEX Chips. KIPAS Textiles then transforms these chips into certified, high-quality filament yarns and staple fibres ready to be used in new products.

The platform removes accessories during processing instead of through manual sorting, reducing labour needs and delays. It also removes colour from blended fabrics to create cleaner recycled material. At the centre of fibR-e is Meltem Kimya’s patented molecular recycling technology, which breaks polyester down into its base components and rebuilds it without creating microplastics. This allows the material to be recycled repeatedly without losing quality.

Initial studies show that making polyester entirely from textile waste through fibR-e reduces emissions by nearly 74 percent compared to producing new polyester. “Recycling has only just begun to address the polyester issue,” said Halit Gümüser, CEO of KIPAS Textiles. “With fibR-e, we can handle real post-consumer waste in all its forms and bring it back as certified, high-quality yarns and fibres. This is how the industry truly shifts from linear to circular systems, not through small trials but through commercial-scale action.”