Northampton-based Innovate Recycle, a firm that has developed a clean, green mechanical process to extract high-quality substances from waste carpets, has opened the UK’s first carpet recycling facility in Northampton. With this, the firm aims to convert end-of-life carpets into reusable materials.
Besides, the UK-based company has also secured £750,000 (nearly €865,275) in fresh funding led by Active Partners.
This takes Innovate Recycle’s total investment to £7.6M, including an investment of £2.35M from the South East Midlands LEP, UK Government Getting Building Fund.
Tom Profumo, Partner at Active Partners says, “As investors backing businesses at the forefront of consumer behavioural change, we are excited to support Innovate Recycle to increase circularity in the textiles industry, providing more sustainable options to retailers and consumers alike.”
“An environmental solution for the carpet industry”
According to a statement from Innovate Recycle, in the UK, only 2 per cent of the annual 500,000 tonnes of end-of-life carpets are currently recycled, leading to environmental damage and higher costs.
Carpet production itself generates significant CO2 emissions, with virgin polymer use resulting in 2 kg of CO2 per kilogram of carpet. However, recycling and recovering polypropylene can reduce this impact to 1.6 kg of CO2 per kilogram.
The increasing demand for recycled polypropylene products, driven by environmental concerns and regulations, is set to expand the market to £10.5B by 2029. This reflects a significant potential in the field of recycled plastic production.
Innovate Recycle has introduced a pioneering solution for end-of-life carpets in the UK. With a patented mechanical process, they can deconstruct polypropylene carpets, which make up 70 per cent of the UK market.
This process reclaims the original materials, diverting carpets from landfill and enabling their reuse in creating new products.
Brief about Innovate Recycle
Founded by Joseph Eccleston in 2018, Innovate Recycle aims to transform the carpet industry’s environmental impact through innovative solutions.
The company’s new accreditation programme partners with carpet manufacturers to assess and promote the recyclability of different carpet ranges, providing consumers with information on proper end-of-life recycling methods.
Innovate Recycle’s first fully operational facility is experiencing high demand from the carpet and waste handling industry, partnering with companies like Designer Contracts, Biffa, and Allwood Recycling Solutions.
The UK-based company’s Northampton facility processes 27,000 tonnes of end-of-life carpet yearly, producing 20,000 tonnes of polypropylene. Over the next ten years, the team plans to build a network of carpet recycling facilities across the UK.
Capital utilisation
Innovate Recycle claims it will use the funds to improve the quality of the component materials produced, secure buyers for the polypropylene and diversify the materials they can recycle.
Founder Joseph Eccleston says, “It’s fantastic to have our first site operational to start making a positive impact on the carpet industry. We’re delighted to be working with Active Partners on this next face of growth and welcome their investment, insight and input as we build our circular economy business.”
