Building on the success in Brussels in June 2025, the first edition of Textiles Recycling Expo USA comes to Charlotte, N.C. with the wind at its back.
TW Special Report
Charlotte, N.C., will host the first Textiles Recycling Expo USA, described by organizer Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI) as “the first dedicated exhibition and conference for textile recycling in North America.”
Wyomissing, Pa.-based AMI will hold the event April 29–30, 2026, at the Charlotte Convention Center. Admission is free.
New U.S. Event Based On Prior Success
AMI launched the Textiles Recycling Expo in Brussels, Belgium, in 2025 as its first event focused on textile waste, building on its long experience in plastics recycling. The Brussels edition provided a dedicated forum for stakeholders to examine textile recycling and circularity across the supply chain.
According to AMI, the strong response in Europe made expansion into North America a logical next step, supporting its goal of developing a global platform to advance textile recycling as a scalable and normalized practice.
Fertile Ground
The U.S. textile and apparel sectors — as well as consumers — are ready for an event focused on textile circularity. AMI describes the expo as “a dedicated platform for the region’s industry leaders to connect, collaborate, and accelerate progress toward a more circular textile economy.”
Early Supporters
“We are very excited to bring the Textiles Recycling Expo to the USA,” said Zied Chetoui, event manager for the show. “Conversations with American attendees at our European launch made it clear there’s a real need for a meeting place for the North American textiles recycling community.”
Founding partners include the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textile (SMART) Association and American Circular Textiles™ (ACT). Rachel Kibbe, ACT founder and CEO, said the partnership “underscores the importance of alignment among recyclers, manufacturers, brands, and policymakers to scale textile circularity nationwide.”
Structural Partner Accelerating Circularity and Event Impact Partner Goodwill® have also joined, along with sponsors including Trützschler, Reju, and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC).
“We’re looking forward to building on the momentum that began in Brussels,” said Karla Magruder, founder of Accelerating Circularity.
Expo And Conference Highlights
Booth 600 will host the Textile Innovation Engine Showcase, featuring the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Textile Innovation Engine. Based in North Carolina, the initiative connects NC State University, Material Return, the Manufacturing Solutions Center, the Gaston Fiber Innovation Center and Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina. Its aim is to align regional innovation efforts and accelerate the development of scalable circular textile solutions.
Enthusiastic Expectations
The Brussels debut in June 2025 featured 126 exhibitors and drew 3,336 visitors from 67 countries, making it the largest meeting to date focused on textile recycling. Twelve percent of attendees traveled from Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Whether Charlotte will achieve similar results remains to be seen —but organizers are optimistic that momentum is on their side.
2026 Quarterly Issue I
