SWEDEN (News release) -- Södra is now increasing the production capacity of OnceMore tenfold to produce as much as 6,000 tones per year of wood-based, recycled textile pulp at Södra Cell Mörrum in Sweden. The world's first large-scale process for recycling textile waste from blended fabrics enters Phase 2 of its development in June.

"The investment in OnceMore is an important step towards our long-term goal of creating a circular textile industry. It will further improve textile recycling and maximize the value of the renewable raw material from our members' forests," says Catrin Gustavsson, Business Area Manager for Södra Innovation.

Södra and Lenzing, a leading supplier of wood-based specialtyfibres, have been working together for 10 years to develop wood-based textile pulp. The companies are now taking the next step by strengthening the cooperation to develop Södra's OnceMore further.

"The collaboration with Lenzing means we can use our joint expertise to develop innovative solutions to drive the textile sector towards greater circularity. Lenzing will play an important role in the development of the process for phase 2 and beyond, and together we can contribute to a more sustainable and circular industry which will help tackle climate change", says Åsa Degerman, Project Manager for OnceMore.

OnceMore is the world's first process for industrial-scale recycling of textile waste of blended fiber turning waste into new garments. The latest investment is the second step towards Södra's goal of recycling 25,000 tons per year of textile waste and offering a OnceMore pulp based on 50% cellulose from Södra's members' forests and 50% recycled textile waste.