The Netherlands’ flagship industrial decarbonization program backs Reju’s Chemelot hub – a key step toward a final investment decision on a facility designed to supply circular polyester with half the emissions of virgin material.
Reju, the textile-to-textile regeneration company owned by France-headquartered energy engineering group Technip Energies, has received €135 million from the Dutch government under its Nationale Investeringsregeling Klimaatprojecten Industrie (National Investment Scheme for Climate Projects in Industry, NIKI) program – positioning the company for a final investment decision on its planned industrial-scale facility at Chemelot Industrial Park in Sittard-Geleen in the southeastern Netherlands.
Dutch state capital bridges the investment gap
NIKI is the Dutch government’s flagship vehicle to accelerate large-scale industrial decarbonization, aligned to both national climate targets and EU circular economy objectives. The award is structured to cover both the capital investment phase and ongoing operational costs – a design that materially de-risks the path to a final investment decision.
The planned facility – referred to as a Regeneration Hub – will take in post-consumer, polyester-containing textiles that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration, and chemically convert these residual feedstocks into circular intermediates for new polyester production. The output, marketed as Reju Polyester, is said to carry approximately 50 percent lower carbon emissions than conventional, fossil-based polyester.
Chemelot: industrial infrastructure as competitive asset
Chemelot was selected for its established industrial ecosystem, including shared utilities and logistics infrastructure as well as proximity to research and innovation capabilities. The company intends to use these advantages to support a fast operational ramp-up and, in time, to replicate the model across additional sites.
Why this matters for the sporting goods supply chain
Polyester dominates fibre use in sportswear and activewear, and brands have struggled to secure large volumes of traceable, recycled alternatives. If Reju can scale chemical regeneration of post-consumer textiles as planned, it could add new supply of circular polyester with claimed emissions benefits.
The timing also coincides with tighter EU rules on product sustainability and environmental marketing. Regulations such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the proposed Green Claims Directive are expected to raise the bar for evidence around recycled content and Scope 3 emissions reductions, increasing demand for certified inputs and verifiable data. If the Chemelot plant reaches commercial output soon, it would widen a still limited pool of chemically recycled polyester available to sporting-goods sourcing teams.
About Reju
Reju is a materials regeneration company developing solutions to recycle polyester textiles and post-consumer PET waste. Owned by Technip Energies and using technology developed at IBM Research, the company is working to establish a closed-loop system for polyester textiles.
About Technip Energies
Technip Energies is a global technology and engineering group with leadership positions across LNG, hydrogen, ethylene, sustainable chemistry and CO2 management. The company reported revenue of approximately €7.2 billion in 2025 and employs more than 18,000 people across 35 countries. It is listed on Euronext Paris.
