Rheiazymes, a company from Zurich, has made it to the top 20 in the Green Alley Award, a competition across Europe that awards projects focused on saving resources and reducing waste. This year, the competition attracted 330 entries from 29 countries. Rheiazymes is being recognized for its innovative method of recycling mixed fabric textiles, commonly found in sports clothing, using enzymes. Their approach aims to create a sustainable cycle of turning old yarn into new, called a circular yarn-to-yarn ecosystem.

Currently, less than 1% of clothing worldwide is recycled, mainly because mixed fabrics are hard to recycle. Rheiazymes has found a way to separate these materials using natural processes, allowing for the recovery of materials like polyamide from various garments. This breakthrough could significantly impact the textile industry by offering a new, sustainable method for recycling fabrics.

The company has announced its nomination for the award on LinkedIn and is urging the public to support them in the vote, which ends on February 19. The winner, along with five other finalists chosen by the jury, will compete for a €25,000 prize in Berlin on April 25.

Rheiazymes is working with textile companies and the Migros Pioneer Fund to develop this technology to an industrial scale, aiming to change the future of textile recycling.

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