ReCircled, a company focused on preprocessing apparel and footwear for recycling, has announced a new partnership with engineering firm Merrick & Company to develop technology aimed at recycling materials that are difficult to process through traditional systems.

ReCircled has been working on solutions to handle challenging waste types such as mixed textiles, EVA foams from sneakers, post-consumer leather, multi-layer packaging, and plastic composites that include fiberglass and wood. Through this collaboration, Merrick will lead the engineering of ReCircled’s first hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) processing units, allowing the company to better manage and recycle these complex materials.

“From day one, we understood that partnerships would be essential to building recycling systems that reach the highest standards,” said Scott Kuhlman, CEO of ReCircled. “Merrick’s expertise in HTL technology enables us to tackle waste streams that previously had no sustainable end-of-life solution. With this partnership, we’re taking a big step toward closing the loop on difficult-to-recycle materials.”

HTL technology uses heat and pressure to break down complex waste into usable outputs, making it especially useful for the mixed materials collected by ReCircled through its take-back programs and retail collaborations. For this system, optimizing particle size will be key to improving overall performance.

“We’re glad to bring Merrick on board for their deep engineering knowledge and specific experience with HTL systems,” said Graham Towerton, ReCircled’s Director of Engineering. Merrick is set to begin front-end engineering work in July, while ReCircled runs lab and pilot-scale testing on various types of waste over the next few months.