Tech-driven textile circularity takes over Times Square

Worn Again Technologies will be part of the Conscious Fashion Campaign billboard showcase in Times Square during the upcoming New York Fashion Week. Cyndi Rhoades, Founder of Worn Again Technologies, has been named as one of the honorees of the Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York, an initiative of the Fashion Impact Fund in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Office for Partnerships and the PVBLIC Foundation. This achievement further emphasizes the company’s role in textile recycling technology and its support for the sustainable fashion industry using advanced polymer processing technologies.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign spotlights fashion-focused female entrepreneurs that are leading the industry towards an inclusive and responsible future with their businesses. The initiative aims to enhance their global visibility to educate, inform and inspire communities.

Cyndi Rhoades, Founder of Worn Again Technologies, was selected as one of the top ten most influential social entrepreneurs that will appear on the iconic seven-story-high Nasdaq billboard during New York Fashion Week in February 2022. This is in recognition of Cyndi and the company’s continued commitment to driving social and environmental changes in the industry. More precisely, this recycling technology company is developing a holistic framework for a circular economy of textiles, where fiber blends are given a second life as high-quality, virgin-like materials.

Commenting on Cyndi’s nomination, Erik Koep, CEO of Worn Again Technologies, said: “I am thrilled that our company has been acknowledged for its positive impact in the fashion industry and that Cyndi has been chosen as an honoree of the Conscious Fashion Campaign: New York. It has been an incredible journey since the foundation of Worn Again Technologies in 2005. We have continued to grow while turning our vision for textile recycling into a reality. I am grateful to work with a fantastic team of highly specialized partners, such as Sulzer Chemtech, Oerlikon Textile and H&M Group, that have brought us to this moment today. I am excited for Cyndi and for Worn Again’s bright future as we work towards realizing circularity in the fashion and textile industry.”

Torsten Wintergerste, Chairman of Worn Again Technologies, added: “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Cyndi for being selected as one of the top ten female entrepreneurs by the Conscious Fashion Campaign. This recognizes her passion and dedication to creating a more sustainable fashion industry and will inspire the next generation of talent to build circular economy. It is always inspiring to be with her.”

Worn Again Technologies was founded in East London in 2005, with a vision to eradicate textile waste. Since 2012, the company has been in development of a unique polymer recycling technology which separates, decontaminates and extracts polyester and cellulose (from cotton) from non-reusable textiles. The dual PET and cellulose outputs can be reintroduced into supply chains to become new fibre, textiles and products as part of a continual cycle.

The regenerative recycling technology is being brought to life by an expert team and strategic partners who have a shared ambition of creating a circular textiles industry. The company has valued strategic investors including H&M Group, Sulzer Chemtech (global market leader in innovative mass transfer, static mixing and polymer solutions for petrochemicals, refining and LNG), Oerlikon (leading materials and surface solutions provider), Mexico-based Himes Corporation (a garment manufacturer) and Directex (a textiles producer), as well as the support of influential brands and partners, such as Kering, ASICS Europe, Sympatex, Dibella and Dhana.

In November 2017, Worn Again Technologies was invited to become part of the Fashion for Good scaling programme. In 2019, Worn Again Technologies received the ANDAM Innovation Prize, the PCIAW Outstanding Contribution to the Textile Industry and the ‘One to Watch’ at the Global Good Awards. In 2019, the company’s Founder, Cyndi Rhoades, was also a finalist for The Circular Economy Awards Leadership award.

Worn Again Technologies is also a signatory and key contributor to the UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.