At the Global Fashion Summit 2026 in Copenhagen, the dialogue surrounding textile sustainability moved decisively from theoretical goals to industrial-scale implementation. Fatih Konukoğlu, Chairman, RE&UP and Vice Chairman, Sanko Holding, emphasized, currently valued at $1.7 billlion-the global textile recycling market requires immediate physical infrastructure rather than further corporate pledges. Participating in the ‘New Rules’ keynote, Konukoğlu highlighted, while the fashion industry faces a 6.8 per cent annual increase in fiber waste, the current bottleneck is not technology, but the collaborative scaling of post-consumer sorting and recycling. The problem is too big for anyone to solve alone, Konukoğlu stated, noting, RE&UP’s facilities are already operational, bridging the gap between waste collection and high-performance fiber production.
Engineering a closed-loop value chain
The summit served as a showcase for RE&UP’s integrated circular ecosystem, which utilizes proprietary thermomechanical technology to separate complex polycotton blends - a process traditionally considered a major hurdle in textile-to-textile recycling. With a projected capacity to process 200,000 tons of textile waste annually by 2026-end, the company is positioning itself to help brands meet the European Green Deal’s rigorous transparency mandates. By transforming discarded garments into ‘Next-Gen’ cotton and polyester that perform on par with virgin fibers, RE&UP is tackling the volatility of raw material costs.
This industrial approach offers a blueprint for the sector to achieve the 50 per cent virgin resource reduction target set by the Global Fashion Agenda, proving that circularity is now a measurable financial lever.
RE&UP is a Netherlands-headquartered circular technology company backed by Sanko Holding’s century-long textile expertise. Specializing in high-performance recycled fibers, it serves global apparel brands seeking sustainable alternatives to virgin cotton and polyester. The firm aims for a global recycling capacity of 1 million tons by 2030, supported by robust vertical integration.
