Canadian clean technology company Loop Industries has secured a potential order from sportswear brand On AG for volumes of 100 per cent recycled virgin quality Loop PET resin.
The products will be produced in the upcoming Asian Infinite Loop manufacturing facility in Ulsan, South Korea, which is expected to break ground by the end of 2023. Loop has collaborated with its strategic partner SK Geo Centric for the planning of the site.
On signed a Letter of Intent for the volumes of resin ordered following a two-year period of collaboration between the sportswear brand and Loop, which involved testing Loop’s PET resin in On’s product.
The partnership will enable On to produce sustainable footwear and apparel using recycled materials and without the need for polyester fibre created from fossil fuels.
“Circularity is a main pillar in On’s sustainability process. We are happy to see that Loop is bringing their technology to commercial scale,” said Ilmarin Heitz, head of innovation at On. “This marks another huge step towards closing the fibre-to-fibre loop within the textile industry.”
Loop Industries focuses on delivering sustainable and circular solutions for PET waste by allowing materials to be infinitely recycled without loss of quality or performance.
Through its technology, the company allows low-value PET waste to be upcycled into 100 per cent recycled virgin-quality Loop PET resin, which can be remanufactured in plastic products and food-grade packaging, as well as polyester fibre applications.
Loop also uses polyester fibre waste as feedstock in its process.
“Loop’s technology enables fibre-to-fibre recycling, providing brands like On with a closed-loop solution to their supply chain,” said Giovanni Catino, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Loop.
“We anticipate that 60% of the feedstock utilized at our planned commercial manufacturing facility in Ulsan to come from polyester fibres which presents a significant opportunity for circularity for this material.”
