Deakin University’s Recycling Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH) has joined forces with local recycler Samsara Eco to fast-track new technology that could recycle plastics and textiles, previously considered unrecyclable.
Samsara uses enzymes to break down fossil fuel derived materials like synthetic fibres, including nylon 6,6 and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into their original building blocks, or monomers. These, according to Samsara, can then be rebuilt into new products with virgin quality performance.
This comes as almost 60 per cent of materials used in clothing sold in Australia is made up of synthetic fibres like nylon and polyester, with studies showing that only a small fraction of all discarded clothing being recycled into new clothes.
According to the pair, the new collaboration will see Samsara Eco lean into Deakin’s advanced chemical analysis and polymer processing expertise to better understand and find recycling solutions for specific additives like dyes, finishes and coatings present in textile waste.
“We are laser-focused on creating true circularity and that means finding a solve for all plastics,” Samsara Eco founder and CEO Paul Riley said. “This research supports our efforts to make this a reality.
“We’ve already come a long way with our enzymatic recycling technology, which can infinitely recycle PET and nylon 6,6 plastics used for clothing and other textiles, including mixed fibres and plastics. Our research collaboration with Deakin will support our efforts to recycle more waste at speed, scale and with precision.”
Professor Colin Barrow, Chair in Biotechnology at Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences said REACH’s research tackles a critical challenge in textile recycling – “understanding how dyes, textile finishes, coatings and other chemical treatments affect the breakdown and rebuilding of synthetic fibres, including other types of polyester and nylon to repurpose into new products.
“We are exploring solutions by analysing these contaminants and determining their impact on textile recycling processes, to make it possible to produce high-performance recycled materials from all types of waste feedstock.”
Associate professor Chris Hurren from Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials is also collaborating on the project. He said by testing how these materials perform in real-world polymerisation and processing, this collaboration should help refine the recycling pipeline and bring closed-loop textile recycling closer to commercial reality.
With growing global pressure on the textile industry to cut emissions and reduce waste, Associate Professor Hurren said this technology could revolutionise the sector – delivering both environmental and economic benefits.
“We’re working to unlock a scalable, circular future for fashion – one that reduces reliance on harmful inputs and keeps textiles out of landfill.”
The latest move comes after Samsara Eco signed a 10-year agreement with global activewear brand lululemon to support approximately 20 per cent of its overall fibre portfolio with its recycled materials.
This builds on previous collaborations between the two, including launching the world’s first enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 garment, recreating their iconic Swiftly top, and a limited-edition Packable Anorak jacket – the first retail garment made from enzymatically recycled polyester.
With their first commercial facility set to open in Jerrabomberra later this year, Samsara Eco’s 2030 vision is to recycle half a billion clothing items and 10 billion plastic bottles annually, avoiding hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions.
“We’re uniquely positioned to recycle mixed plastics and fibres,’ Riley said. ‘We’re taking post-industrial and post-consumer waste to create new products and are already working with helping brands to swap virgin inputs for our low carbon, enzymatically recycled materials, which plug directly into existing supply chains.
“Together with Deakin’s researchers, we can find further recycling solves to keep more out of landfill and in circulation.”