REC took part for the first time in the National Polymer Recycling Conference (Colloque National Recyclage Polymères), held in Clermont-Ferrand in 2024. The two-day event brought together a community of experts in polymers, textiles and recycling, providing REC with an opportunity to present its progress in the recycling of nylon from blended-fiber textiles.
First participation in the National Polymer Recycling Conference in 2024
Ecollant had the opportunity to take part for the first time in the National Polymer Recycling Conference in Clermont-Ferrand. This participation marked an important milestone for our team and was a great honour: we were invited to speak alongside industry experts to present our innovation and the progress of our work on polyamide recycling.
Over two days, the conference brought together a particularly diverse community of specialists from the polymer, industrial, textile and recycling sectors. It provided an ideal environment for sharing experiences, exchanging perspectives and collectively exploring solutions to accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy.
A second participation in the National Polymer Recycling Conference in 2026
REC (formerly Ecollant) took part in the 3rd National Polymer Recycling Conference, held on 30 June and 1 July 2026 in Clermont-Ferrand, organised by the competitiveness clusters POLYMERIS and AXELERA, in collaboration with several stakeholders from the recycling, textile and materials ecosystem. Over two days, the national event brought together industrial companies, start-ups, SMEs, major corporations, laboratories, technical centres, and stakeholders involved in the collection, sorting and recycling of polymers. The objective was to share the latest developments in the sector, showcase innovations and collectively explore the conditions required to develop new recycling value chains.
For REC, this participation provided another opportunity to present its innovation and progress in the recycling of polyamide from complex textiles.
Sharing our progress in nylon recycling at the National Polymer Recycling Conference
During a pitch session dedicated to the textile sector, we presented the latest developments in our work on recycling nylon from blended-fiber textiles. Recycling these materials represents a major technological challenge. Some textiles, such as tights, lingerie and sportswear, combine several different fibers, particularly polyamide and elastane. Separating these fibers is one of the key technological barriers to recovering and valorising these materials.
This is precisely the challenge REC has been addressing since its creation. Our technology is designed to recover the polyamide contained in complex materials, regenerate it and transform it into recycled raw material for new industrial applications.
Discover more: Our polyamide recycling technology
This presentation also gave us the opportunity to outline our industrial ambitions and roadmap, with the objective of continuing to scale up our technology and bringing our industrial demonstrator to fruition.
Engaging with experts to better understand the need for recycled polyamide
An event of this kind is, of course, about much more than presentations. We also took advantage of these two days to exchange with industry stakeholders and gain a better understanding of their needs and constraints regarding polyamide. Discussions with polymer and textile experts are essential to test our innovation against real-world industrial requirements: recycled material specifications, expected properties, technical constraints, potential applications and development prospects. These exchanges also enable us to gather feedback, questions and insights from stakeholders who work every day on the challenges associated with polymers and their recycling.
For REC, this collective approach is essential to developing an industrial solution that can meet the real needs of industries using polyamide.
A community of experts united around the National Polymer Recycling Conference
We were particularly impressed by the diversity and expertise of the stakeholders brought together over these two days. It is rare to have so many specialists in polymers, recycling, industry and textiles gathered in one place. We would particularly like to acknowledge the organisation of POLYMERIS and AXELERA, as well as the involvement of the CMD and Michelin teams.
The conference was also an opportunity to reconnect with several organisations with whom we share common challenges and perspectives on innovation and the transformation of industrial value chains, including the teams at TECHTERA, IFTH and CETIA, as well as many other participants.
These encounters are invaluable in building bridges between the different stakeholders within the ecosystem and fostering new collaborations.
From textile recycling to polymer recycling: challenges that go beyond a single industry
Although our presentation focused primarily on the recycling of nylon and polyamide from complex textiles, the conference also enabled us to broaden our perspective to other sectors facing the challenges associated with changing patterns of polymer use and consumption. We attended several round tables addressing key topics for the development of the circular economy, including:
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR);
- material and waste-stream traceability;
- textile waste management;
- the evolution of recycling value chains;
- the conditions required to accelerate material circularity.
These discussions reinforced a strong conviction: the transition towards a more circular economy cannot be achieved by a single player or a single technology. It requires coordinated action between producers, brands, collectors, sorting operators, recycling companies, users of recycled materials, technical centres, researchers and public authorities.
At REC, this approach begins with the collection of textiles containing polyamide. Establishing suitable and traceable waste streams is indeed a key step in securing the supply of secondary raw materials and supporting the scale-up of our technology.
Discover more: Collecting textiles containing polyamide
An industrial ambition to be built collectively
In conclusion, the National Polymer Recycling Conference was a genuine source of inspiration for the entire REC team. We leave Clermont-Ferrand with many valuable discussions, new ideas and an even clearer understanding of the challenges that polymer recycling must address. Our objective remains unchanged: to continue developing our technology and bring our industrial demonstrator to fruition, before pursuing further scale-up.
This next stage cannot be achieved alone. It will require the commitment of the entire recycling and polyamide ecosystem.
We will need all of you to help build a genuine recycling value chain for polyamide from complex materials!
Discover REC’s industrial ambitions
