In a warehouse in Loganholme, Queensland, a machine is eating old sheets. It is not shredding them. It is chemically dissolving the bonds between polyester and cotton, two materials that, once woven together, have traditionally been a one-way ticket to landfill. This is the core bet of BlockTexx, an Australian cleantech company that has built what it calls the world's first commercial-scale chemical recycling facility for blended textiles [BlockTexx, Revolutionising the textile industry]. For founders Graham Ross and Adrian Jones, the unit of impact is the tonne, and their facility is now rated to process 4,000 of them per year [sub11.com.au, February 2024].
The global textile waste problem is measured in millions of tonnes, but the stubborn part is the blend. Pure materials can be mechanically recycled, but a 50/50 poly-cotton hospital bedsheet or work uniform is a different story. BlockTexx's proprietary S.O.F.T. (separation of fibre technology) process is a chemical wedge aimed squarely at that problem, aiming to recover both polyester and cellulose for reuse [BlockTexx, Series A Funding Announcement]. It is a hardware-heavy, capex-intensive answer to a question the fashion and hospitality industries are increasingly being forced to ask: what comes after the dumpster?
The chemistry of separation
BlockTexx does not just collect waste; it operates an end-to-end system. The company's Give a Sheet® for the Planet brand runs community collection events with local councils, gathering household linens and towels [giveasheetfortheplanet.com]. This feedstock network, which the company says includes over 200 supply partners, feeds the Loganholme facility [BlockTexx, FAQs]. There, the S.O.F.T. process uses a chemical solution to selectively dissolve the cotton (a cellulose), leaving the polyester fibres intact. Both output streams are then purified and sold as raw materials for new products, from new textiles to construction and agricultural applications [BlockTexx, BlockTexx®].
The company has secured key certifications like the Global Recycled Standard, which allows brands using its materials to make recycled-content claims [LinkedIn, Graham Ross - BlockTexx]. This is the commercial engine: selling certified, recycled polyester and cellulose back into manufacturing supply chains, creating a circular loop for materials that were previously considered unrecyclable at scale.
A founder duo from fashion and media
The team behind this industrial operation is an unlikely pairing. Graham Ross is a veteran media personality, best known in Australia for hosting 'The Garden Clinic' radio show for over four decades [2gb.com]. He is also the founder of sustainable sportswear brand Kusaga Athletic. Co-founder Adrian Jones is a former fashion executive and financial advisor with a background in wealth management at firms like UBS [Bloomberg, November 2018]. Their combined experience speaks to the two sides of the business: Ross brings brand-building and environmental advocacy, while Jones brings commercial and operational rigor from the fashion industry.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Initial Capacity | 4000 tonnes per year |
| Series B Target | 10000 tonnes per year |
| Four-Year Goal | 50000 tonnes total |
Funding to scale a physical footprint
Building chemical plants is expensive. BlockTexx has raised capital in stages to fund its growth, with a significant portion coming from government grants in its early days. Its most recent disclosed round was a $7 million Series B in February 2024, backed by existing private investors and the fashion innovation platform Fashion for Good [BlockTexx, February 2024]. The proceeds are earmarked for scaling the technology, with a goal to expand the Loganholme facility's capacity from 4,000 to 10,000 tonnes per annum [sub11.com.au, February 2024].
A major strategic vote of confidence came in October 2025, when Austrian plastics recycling giant EREMA Group took a strategic stake in the company. EREMA's expertise in building large-scale recycling systems suggests a partnership aimed at replicating the BlockTexx model beyond Australia [BlockTexx, October 2025].
The risks are in the logistics
The technology appears to work. The larger question is whether the unit economics can hold at scale while competing with the near-zero cost of landfill. BlockTexx's model faces several headwinds that are common to the advanced recycling space.
- Feedstock consistency. Chemical processes are sensitive. The company's success depends on securing a large, consistent stream of pre-sorted blended textiles, which requires a sophisticated and reliable collection network.
- Output market pricing. The value of the recovered polyester and cellulose is tied to volatile commodity markets. If virgin material prices drop, the recycled premium can evaporate.
- Capital intensity. Scaling to 10,000 or 50,000 tonnes requires significant further investment in plant and equipment, making the company reliant on continued investor appetite for hardtech climate solutions.
The company's partnerships, like those with social enterprise HELP Enterprises and polyester manufacturer Asia Pacific Fibers, are early signals of its ability to lock in both supply and offtake [BlockTexx, May 2023]. The EREMA deal is perhaps the strongest counter to the capex concern, providing a potential path to global deployment with an industry partner that knows how to build big.
The incumbent is the landfill
Ultimately, BlockTexx is not just competing with other recyclers. Its real rival is the cheapest, easiest disposal method on earth: the hole in the ground. The back-of-the-envelope math is stark. Australia sends roughly 200,000 tonnes of leather and textiles to landfill each year. If BlockTexx hits its four-year goal of processing 50,000 tonnes, it would be diverting a meaningful chunk of that national waste stream [BlockTexx, Textile recycling business to divert 50000 tonnes of landfill waste]. The climate impact hinges on the alternative. Producing one tonne of virgin polyester releases an estimated 5 to 7 tonnes of CO2. By recovering that material, BlockTexx avoids those emissions, though the calculus must include the energy for collection and its chemical process.
The next twelve months will be about proving the scale-up. Hitting the 10,000-tonne capacity target post-Series B would be a concrete milestone. More partnerships with major uniform suppliers or fashion brands would demonstrate market pull. For now, the Loganholme plant is a first-of-its-kind machine, quietly turning yesterday's uniforms into tomorrow's raw materials. Its success will be measured not in buzzwords, but in tonnes kept from the ground and the dollars it costs to do it. The company to beat is not another startup, but the entrenched economics of waste.
Sources
- [BlockTexx, February 2024] Series B Funding Announcement | https://www.blocktexx.com/news/lhz5113dkmy8rcfmgxvj0z2ymzp50c
- [sub11.com.au, February 2024] BlockTexx closes a $24.7M Series B round | https://sub11.com.au/2024/02/21/blocktexx-closes-a-247m-series-b-round/
- [BlockTexx, Revolutionising the textile industry] Revolutionising the textile industry | https://www.blocktexx.com/news/revolutionisingthetextileindustry
- [BlockTexx, Series A Funding Announcement] Series A Funding Announcement | https://www.blocktexx.com/news/series-a-funding-announcement
- [giveasheetfortheplanet.com] Give a Sheet® for the Planet | https://giveasheetfortheplanet.com
- [BlockTexx, FAQs] Frequently Asked Questions | https://www.blocktexx.com/faqs
- [BlockTexx, BlockTexx®] BlockTexx company page | https://www.blocktexx.com/
- [LinkedIn, Graham Ross - BlockTexx] Graham Ross LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamross2/
- [2gb.com] The Garden Clinic | https://www.2gb.com/show/the-garden-clinic/
- [Bloomberg, November 2018] UBS Hires Coutts Veteran to Advise Wealthiest U.K. Clients | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-19/ubs-hires-coutts-veteran-jones-to-advise-richest-u-k-clients
- [BlockTexx, October 2025] EREMA Group announces strategic investment and partnership | https://www.blocktexx.com/news/9ytky2e8efks1gielnhf50ehyodnm9
- [BlockTexx, May 2023] BlockTexx teams up with social enterprise HELP | https://www.blocktexx.com/news/blocktexx-teams-up-with-social-enterprise-help-to-supply-new-clothing-recycling-plant
- [BlockTexx, Textile recycling business to divert 50000 tonnes of landfill waste] Textile recycling business to divert 50000 tonnes of landfill waste | https://www.blocktexx.com/news/textile-recycling-business-to-divert-50000-tonnes-of-landfill-waste-and-create-140-jobs-over-four-years