Turkish textile giant adds recycled fibre line

Korteks, one of the world’s biggest yarn producers, has started production of recycled polyester filament alongside its virgin lines and says production waste is now close to zero.

Korteks’ new line at Bursa in Turkey processes clean in-house polyester fibres from production scrap, together with washed post-consumer PET flakes at a ratio of 50/50. Korteks’ polyester regranulate, capable of being produced at around 600 tonnes per month, will be marketed under the name TAÇ Reborn.

A member of Zorlu Holding Group, Korteks started operations in Bursa in 1989 and is the largest integrated polyester yarn manufacturer and exporter in Europe employing nearly 2 300 people. The facility has an annual production capacity of 170 000 tonnes, meeting 17 % of Turkey’s yarn demand and exporting to almost 60 countries.

Its yarns are used across a wide range including home textile products, apparel, automotive products and garden furniture. Central to the new line is a Starlinger recoSTAR universal 165 H-VAC iV+, part of Korteks’ US$ 10 million (EUR 8.5 million) investment, which stated operations in May.

‘We have been in extensive cooperation with Starlinger for a long time,’ said Barış Mert, general manager of Korteks. ‘Thanks to their unique and innovative recycling technology we can offer new products in line with the circular economy model.’

‘We are proud to be a partner in Korteks’ quest for more sustainability in the textile business,’ says Paul Niedl, commercial head of Starlinger recycling technology. ‘Turkey is a significant global player in this industry. If more Turkish textile manufacturers start using recycled materials, this will be an important signal for the sector and a big step towards a circular economy.’

Mert says Korteks expects the recycling market in general to grow alongside increased acceptance of recycled products: ‘We are gradually expanding our product range in sustainable and smart textiles every day. The pandemic has once again strikingly revealed the necessity of building a sustainable living together.’