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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Worn Again Technologies

Worn Again Technologies (
Private sector
)
#SDGAction46063
    Description
    Description

    Worn Again Technologies has developed a unique polymer recycling technology which separates, decontaminates, and extracts polyester and cellulose from cotton in 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 technology has been developed to support the shift from linear supply chains to a circular system where raw materials become circular and start replacing the use of virgin resources.

    Implementation of the Project/Activity

    The company is currently in a pre-revenue, scale up phase, moving from lab-based developments to demonstration plant. The commercial team is London based and led by the company’s new CEO, Erik Koep. Our tech team operates from a Biocity in Nottingham, England, under the direction of our Chief Scientific Officer. We conduct industrial trials with external equipment providers and are working with our chemical engineering partner in Switzerland on the design and development of a demonstration plant which will be the focus of 2022-2023. The demo plant will provide the technical blueprint for licensing the technology to plant operators globally. 

    Worn Again plants will comply to the standards and certifications relevant to circular raw materials production, as required by the industry. With examples such as GRS and Cradle to Cradle. In addition, the ambition is to develop a holistic ‘circular licensing model', beyond the technological specifications, which provides a toolkit for social and environmental KPIs (for CO2 reductions, water savings and beyond), including metrics that capture how each plant is delivering against the UN SDGs and UNFCCC Fashion Climate Pact. 

    Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

    During the commercialisation phase, the company will work with partners on an expansion plan to achieve the vision of 40 plants by 2040. In parallel, it will continue to drive forward the collaboration necessary to prepare the marketplace - especially the advanced sorting and infrastructure evolution required in the post-consumer supply chain - for textile to textile recycling to become mainstream. This includes participating in industry working groups and with conveners, including Accelerating Circularity, WRAP’s Textiles2030, Global Fashion Agenda and Textile Exchange. We also take part in pilots and industry conferences to spread knowledge about our feedstock specification and what will be needed to supply our future plants and support the rapid expansion plan to replace the use of virgin resources. We continue to build partnerships and are starting to develop regional coalitions to support individual plants that will be ready for commercialisation from 2024-2025. 

    Coordination mechanisms

    We have a Board of Directors which reports to shareholders. 

    Evaluation

    The key principles of our industrial process are to ensure the outputs are cost competitive, comparable in quality to virgin materials, and have a significantly reduced environmental impact compared to conventional raw materials production. Success will be measured in tonnes of textiles saved from landfill and virgin materials replaced as well as environmental savings, compared to virgin production, such as CO2 reductions and green jobs generated.

    Partners

    H&M Group, Sulzer Chemtech, Oerlikon, Himes, Directex, Kering, Dibella, Sympatex, ASICS Europe. Worn Again works closely with other industry organisations and cross sectorial initiatives focused on overcoming barriers to textiles circularity and advancing the reduction of the fashion industry's impacts, including the Circular Fashion Partnership (Europe/Bangladesh), Fashion for Good (The Netherlands), Accelerating Circularity (US/Europe), Circular Fashion Eco-system (UK) and Textile Exchange (US). Worn Again is also a signatory of the UN’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

    Goal 9

    Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

    Goal 9

    9.1

    Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
    9.1.1

    Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road

    9.1.2

    Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport

    9.2

    Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries

    9.2.1

    Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita

    9.2.2

    Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment

    9.3

    Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets
    9.3.1

    Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value added

    9.3.2

    Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit

    9.4

    By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

    9.4.1

    COemission per unit of value added

    9.5

    Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending
    9.5.1

    Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP

    9.5.2

    Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants

    9.a

    Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
    9.a.1

    Total official international support (official development assistance plus other official flows) to infrastructure

    9.b

    Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities
    9.b.1

    Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added

    9.c

    Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

    9.c.1

    Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

    Goal 11

    Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

    Goal 11

    11.1

    By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

    11.1.1

    Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing

    11.2

    By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons
    11.2.1

    Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    11.3

    By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries
    11.3.1

    Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate

    11.3.2

    Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically

    11.4

    Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

    11.4.1

    Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)

    11.5

    By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

    11.5.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    11.5.2

    Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)

    11.5.3

    (a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters

    11.6

    By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

    11.6.1

    Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities

    11.6.2

    Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)

    11.7

    By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
    11.7.1

    Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    11.7.2

    Proportion of persons victim of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months

    11.a

    Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

    11.a.1

    Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space

    11.b

    By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

    11.b.1

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    11.b.2

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    11.c

    Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

    Goal 12

    Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

    Goal 12

    12.1

    Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

    12.1.1

    Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production

    12.2

    By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

    12.2.1

    Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

    12.2.2

    Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

    12.3

    By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

    12.3.1

    (a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index

    12.4

    By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

    12.4.1
    Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement
    12.4.2

    (a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

    12.5

    By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

    12.5.1

    National recycling rate, tons of material recycled

    12.6

    Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

    12.6.1
    Number of companies publishing sustainability reports

    12.7

    Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

    12.7.1

    Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans

    12.8

    By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

    12.8.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    12.a

    Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

    12.a.1

    Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing countries (in watts per capita)

    12.b

    Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

    12.b.1

    Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability

    12.c

    Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

    12.c.1

    Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP

    Name Description

    Commercialisation plan announcement.

    Financing (in USD)
    Investment of ~$19m dollars as of April 2022.
    Staff / Technical expertise
    Technical and commercial teams, supported by strategic partners.
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
    Partnerships Banner
    False
    Action Network
    Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network
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    Timeline
    02 January 2012 (start date)
    31 December 2040 (date of completion)
    Entity
    N/A
    SDGs
    Region
    1. Africa
    2. Europe
    3. Asia and Pacific
    4. North America
    5. Latin America and the Caribbean
    6. West Asia
    Geographical coverage
    UK
    Other beneficiaries

    Brands and retailers, supply chains, users and wearers, governments, society and the environment.

    More information
    Countries
    N/A
    Contact Information

    Cyndi Rhoades, Founder