ReSpin new members of TMAS

We warmly welcome ReSpin, new members of TMAS, to our community. Welcome to get to know ReSpin and Åsa Strandberg, CEO and founder, better!

ReSpin is a Swedish textile recycling company developing a patented mechanical recycling technology that transforms textile waste into new fibres suitable for yarn production. The technology, called RespinJenny, is designed to enable local, small scale and resource efficient recycling closer to where textile waste is generated.

– ReSpin originated from a research collaboration between Linköping University, Luleå University of Technology and Mid Sweden University. Today, our focus is on bringing the technology from development into industrial implementation and helping create circular textile value chains, says Åsa Strandberg, CEO and founder of ReSpin.

Åsa has a profound experience in the textile industry spanning over 30 years, including 17 years at H&M in various leadership positions within design, production and sourcing. In 2020, she founded ReSpin.

– My role is to lead the company’s strategic development, partnerships, financing and commercialization. I am also the driving force behind the original idea and development of the technology, Åsa says.

ReSpin is the result of years of research, technological development, and hands-on experience within the textile sector. The company is on a mission to close the loop and bring a shift towards a more sustainable textile industry.

– Less than 1% of textile waste is recycled back into new textile products. One of the main reasons is that existing recycling solutions often require large volumes, centralized infrastructure and significant investments. ReSpin addresses this challenge by enabling decentralized mechanical recycling of textile waste. Our technology helps companies retain more value from their textile resources while reducing dependence on virgin fibres and long transportation chains.

On choosing to become members of Textile Machinery Association of Sweden, TMAS, Åsa explains:

– TMAS brings together many of Sweden’s leading companies and experts, all playing an important role in shaping the future of textile production technology. As ReSpin moves towards industrialization, we see great value in being part of a network where knowledge, innovation and collaboration are central. We believe the transition to circular textile systems requires cooperation across the entire value chain, and TMAS provides an important platform for that dialogue.

Åsa also shares the idea that some of the challenges the textile industry faces are best addressed together.

– The textile industry needs to address a fundamental disconnect between resource extraction, production and end of life management. For many years, the focus has been on producing more with lower costs, while limited attention has been given to how resources are regenerated and retained within the system. We need to create solutions that reduce dependence on virgin raw materials, increase circularity and make textile recycling economically viable at scale, she says.

Åsa and ReSpin wishes to broaden the dialogue on the shift from consumption towards more of a stewardship.

– We need a broader discussion about resource use, biodiversity and the long term resilience of textile supply chains. The future textile industry must be built around resource stewardship rather than resource consumption.

TMAS