Attempting to lead the eco-charge into the future of textiles, New York State is welcoming a French company set on transforming the industry's waste problem. Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration firm, plans to inject $390 million into creating a groundbreaking textile regeneration hub in Rochester's Eastman Business Park, as reported by the Office of the Governor.
This hub isn't just another industrial plant; it's poised to become the first of its kind in North America, aiming to repurpose up to 300 million articles of clothing each year, which would have otherwise piled onto the mountains of textile waste clogging our landfills. The project is looking to bring about 70 new jobs to the local community, ranging from engineering positions to a variety of production roles and the company expects operations to be up and running by the end of 2029, this marks a significant step in the state's sustainability effort and push for a circular economy.
Clearly signaling New York's ambition towards an eco-friendly future, Reju's facility will span across an 18.9-acre lot and the company plans on constructing a 145,000 square-foot space early on. The site will utilize proprietary technology developed with IBM Research to process and regenerate discarded polyester textiles, notably lowering the carbon footprint of the produced Reju Polyester by 50 percent when compared with virgin polyester and ensuring its recyclability over multiple cycles a move celebrated for its potential to curb the industry's fossil fuel dependency.
"New York State is committed to creating good paying jobs, and supporting innovative projects and companies that are working to keep materials out of landfills and protecting our planet," Governor Hochul stated, vividly expressing the state's intent to lead in the transformation of waste materials into lucrative opportunities, this statement and further details about the technological and environmental nuances of the project were announced in the aforementioned official Office of the Governor's news release.
Assisting in this game-changing investment, Empire State Development is providing Reju with a $4 million capital grant and offering up to $1 million through the Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program contingent upon job creation benchmarks. Backing up the financial incentives are strong endorsements from local government and business representatives who are lauding Reju's decision to set up shop in Rochester, cementing the city's legacy of innovation and responding to the critical need for a more sustainable textile industry.
Reju, overseen by parent company Technip Energies, has been in the circular economy game for a while now, with a pilot facility in Frankfurt, Germany since 2024 and a full-scale European operation announced in May 2025. Reju CEO Patrik Frisk elucidated the groundbreaking move, "As our first Regeneration hub in the United States, this site selection in Rochester, New York is a major leap forward in building a truly global circular system," clearly underpinning the broader vision the company holds for the industry's future, as "a signal to the market that circularity at scale is possible and now is the time to ensure the momentum continues to build," as mentioned on the Office of the Governor website.
