First Australian textile recycling facility under development

The development of Australia’s first textile recycling facility is underway. In the first year of operation, BlockTexx anticipates the facility, in Logan, south-east Queensland, will recycle around 4000 tonnes of textiles, create up to 30 new full-time jobs and add up to $43 million economic impact to the local area.

BlockTexx is working closely with engineering and construction company Wiley on the world-first facility, which is pioneering the textile recovery processes.

BlockTexx is an Australian company that has created a chemical separation process called SOFT (separation of fibre technology) to repurpose textile waste. The patent-pending technology is an initiative designed to build a circular economy for discarded textiles.

BlockTexx quickly demonstrated its capability after outgrowing its pilot plant ahead of forecasts. Today, the Australian company is preparing the infrastructure for its flagship Logan facility under Cardona’s watch, while it furthers conversations with leaders across the country regarding the location of a second location.

The project is under the management of senior engineer Karen Cardona, who has been appointed General Manager Engineering and Technology, and will head up operations for the Logan facility.

The business was quick to recognise Cardona for her 15 years’ experience in both chemical and industrial engineering disciplines. Her background working across Northern and Central America with senior roles in research, management and product development placed her as the best person to drive the engineering and technology processes required for the site’s operation.

The Logan facility will commence commercial-scale operation in Q1 of 2022. Cardona said her role is to support the business to carry out all the requirements needed to enable operation.

“It will be a very big job and we’re all aware of the enormity before us and the opportunities it presents,” she said. “The proof of concept for the facility and its operations is coming together nicely, and in our minds, it can’t come quickly enough.

“To make real impacts right now, we need to move with urgency and are preparing all the resources and planning to allow us to have those impacts as quickly as possible. As you read this, tonnes of textile waste are being sent to landfill, so the sooner we can get these processes going, the better tomorrow we face.”

The Australian Circular Textile Association estimates that nearly one million tonnes of leather and textiles are sent to landfill, with the average Australian contributing close to 40 kg of waste each year. The production of clothing in Australia has increased by 400% over the last 20 years with the country now trailing the United States as the second-largest consumer of new textiles.

In the first year of the plant’s operation, the facility will recycle an anticipated 4000 tonnes of textile waste via the SOFT process, offsetting approximately 120,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.

“We’re in a unique position to make real impact,” Cardona said. “This is the first time this industry has seen a commercial-scale solution that creates a true circular economy.

“BlockTexx focuses on the component materials in discarded clothing, sheets and towels which are predominantly made from polyester and cotton. Our process recovers these raw fibres so they can be reused. The repurposing of these fibres ensures they get a second life across a variety of new products spanning textiles, packaging and building products.”

The engineer’s unique background in chemical and industrial disciplines means she has all the necessary skills and experience to ensure operability at the facility, but it’s her passion for creating circular economies that sets her apart from the field and positions her as a critical resource in driving capability.

“I grew up in Guatemala and our family was always appreciative for what we had; we didn’t have a wasteful mentality,” she said. “If we had chickens, we knew they would feed us and realised the sacrifice. We grew a lot of food, shared food and took pride in composting.

“We had three generations living close by and shared clothing between the houses too — when you grew out of something, it went to another member of the family and many pieces were unisex.”

The engineer today has more than 15 years’ experience having worked across Central and North America where she held head of research, quality control and product development positions in cosmetics and food and beverage.

Her career went on to explore ethanol, mining and sugar industries where she developed bio digestors and circular economy models, and soon discovered a higher purpose.

Cardona is currently commissioning the set-up of operations and procedures at the Logan facility, including managing trials with suppliers, working with project delivery partners and assisting the BlockTexx executive team on business development.

“It’s been a big few weeks and it will be an even bigger few months. Where we used to have overnight express options for infrastructure needs, delivery can now take months so we’re in the process of contingency planning to place us in the best position to start having immediate and profound impacts.

“I’ll be commissioning the build for our state-of-the-art textile resource recovery facility. Significant set-up will be needed to develop the customised engineering equipment that is capable of delivering commercial-scale processes we require,” Cardona said. “To achieve this, I’ll be working closely to coordinate specialised equipment with manufacturers and designing the specifications needed to manage it through to installation and operation.

“We move with a sense of urgency and anticipation as we understand the difference we could be making immediately, and so today, we work harder for our best tomorrow.”