RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — December 16, 2025 — LOOM Carbon and independent scientific research institute RTI International today announced a strategic research collaboration. The partnership will enable the scaling of LOOM’s proprietary thermal chemical recycling platform designed to transform non-recycled and hard-to-recycle textile waste into sustainable carbon-neutral materials.
Global textile waste exceeds 92 million tons annually, with recycling rates at less than 15%. This new partnership addresses this fast-growing environmental challenge by advancing a credible pathway to textile circularity.
LOOM Carbon’s process converts mixed and contaminated textiles into high value outputs that can re-enter industrial supply chains, including:
- Circular pigments and materials that replace fossil-derived inputs in textiles, coatings, and plastics
- Carbon materials that can be integrated into cement, asphalt, and composites, supporting infrastructure decarbonization
- Excess thermal energy that powers operations efficiently, reducing reliance on external sources
These pathways demonstrate how textile waste can be recycled into durable, circular products rather than being landfilled or incinerated.
“Together with RTI, Loom is demonstrating that blended textile waste can be recycled into valuable resources,” said Kimberly Landry, CEO of LOOM Carbon. “This collaboration moves us from pilot to commercial readiness proving textile waste is a resource, not a liability.”
This project will take place at RTI’s Pilot Xcelerator facility, which helps startups, commercial partners and government-funded teams to scale promising technologies from the lab to real-world applications quickly, affordably and with confidence.
“We are proud to leverage RTI’s world-class Pilot Xcelerator facility as well as our expertise in process engineering and emissions validation to help accelerate a proven, scalable solution to textile waste,” said David C. Dayton, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Director of Biofuels at RTI International. “Together, we aim to deliver real, sustainable benefits as this technology moves toward commercial deployment.”
The 12-month program will focus on scaling LOOM’s system to process challenging textile waste streams, validating product quality, and preparing for commercial deployment. This will target the processing of millions of tons of textile waste annually in Southeast Asia, Europe, North America and other markets with emerging textile stewardship regulations. Industry partners interested in feedstock supply or offtake agreements are invited to contact LOOM Carbon.
Posted: December 16, 2025
Source: RTI International
