SaXcell makes the textile industry circular - from Twente
SaXcell aims to convert 750 tonnes of old and used cotton into cellulose fibres each year in its pilot plant in Enschede, using a sustainable recycling process. These fibres are turned into new textiles. From Twente, SaXcell demonstrates that a sustainable future for the textile industry is within reach. Oost NL is excited about this innovation and supports SaXcell as a trusted partner in the European RegioGreenTex (RGT) project.
Is it true that your company name reflects both Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the raw material cellulose?
Ger Brinks, co-founder of SaXcell: “That’s correct! We started in 2015 as researchers, as a spin-off from Saxion University of Applied Sciences. Through an innovative recycling process, we convert old cotton clothing into pulp. This pulp is used to create new, high-quality textile fibres: cellulose fibres. That means we give clothing - which would otherwise end up in landfills or be incinerated - a second life. What makes our SaXcell fibres unique is that their quality is better than the original cotton fibres. SaXcell fibres can be recycled endlessly.”
What does this mean for the circular economy?
Brinks: “The textile sector is one of the largest industries in the world and has a huge impact on the environment. We make textile production circular. We don’t need agricultural land or pesticides to produce cotton. We use relatively little water to produce pulp, and during fibre production, more than 99 percent of the solvent used is reused.”
Sylvia Snoeren, project manager circular economy at Oost NL: “SaXcell offers an innovative and sustainable solution to a global environmental problem: mountains of textile waste. In the Netherlands alone, tens of millions of kilos of textiles are thrown away every year. The fact that SaXcell is strengthening the textile ecosystem specifically in Twente strongly appeals to us at Oost NL. Twente has traditionally been the textile region of the Netherlands. Textile production belongs in Twente, and circular entrepreneurship belongs to this era. SaXcell’s developments go beyond local impact. The company has both the potential and the ambition to make the textile industry more sustainable on a global scale.”
Oost NL contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals
With Oost NL and RegioGreenTex, we’re building an international network in the textile industry.
Ger Brinks – founder of SaXcell
How does Oost NL help SaXcell with this international ambition?
Snoeren: “With the support of Oost NL, SaXcell is one of 26 SMEs participating in RegioGreenTex (RGT). RGT is a European research and collaboration project that supports SMEs in developing practical circular solutions for the textile chain. Companies and knowledge institutes from various European regions are working together in this project to drive innovation. Oost NL ensures that companies from the East Netherlands region participate in the project, grow further, and gain recognition across Europe. Sharing knowledge and technologies, and creating partnerships between these parties, is important. Oost NL takes the lead in building regional textile ecosystems that will serve as an example for other regions.”
Brinks: “Our first subsidy for SaXcell came through the Regio Deal. That allowed us to carry out our first experiments. RGT then enabled us to further develop and refine our process. Moreover, through our participation in RGT, we were able to expand our international network in a short time. We now move easily throughout Europe and have knowledge and recycling partners in various countries. That is important, because textiles are a global business. The Netherlands is too small for the market we aim for.”
What does Oost NL’s involvement mean for SaXcell?
Brinks: “Recycling is a tough business. Large volumes of new material are still being dumped on the market at extremely low prices, and consumers tend to go for the cheapest option. As a result, there’s a lot of material available that we can turn into cellulose fibres. But if you can’t sell those fibres because people prefer virgin material, your business falls apart. With Oost NL and RegioGreenTex, we’re building an international network. Hopefully, this won’t just create impact at the consumer level - it may help us change the textile industry itself. Our collaboration with these partners brings new energy. And that feels fantastic!”
Go to the SaXcell.