Nike Signs Multi-Year Agreement With Two T2T Material Suppliers to Transform Textile Waste Into High-Performance Sports Gear Materials

On November 11, textile company Syre announced a multi-year agreement with leading sports brand NIKE, marking a milestone for the global apparel industry and others towards a future of circular materials.

This partnership reflects Nike's commitment to expanding sustainable innovation and Syre's mission to accelerate the transformation of textiles. It will focus on gradually integrating Syre's recycled polyester fibers into Nike's core performance line, with the first products expected to launch in the coming years. Syre will become the primary strategic supplier of recycled polyester for Nike textiles.

Both companies share a long-term ambition to expand the use of textile fibers and support a closed-loop ecosystem in which discarded textiles become the raw materials for the next generation of high-performance equipment.

"Our partnership with Syre represents a shift in our materials strategy and procurement approach," said Sitora Muzafarova, Nike's Vice President of Material Supply Chain. "Innovation is at the core of Nike's DNA, and textile-to-textile recycled polyester fiber is key to our design and production of groundbreaking products that not only meet the highest standards expected by athletes but are also more sustainable."

For Syre, collaborating with one of the most iconic brands in the world marks a true new chapter in sustainability.

"Nike, as a global leader in athletic apparel and innovation, has sent a strong signal to the entire industry by committing to the use of textile-to-textile generated polyester. This is not a one-time initiative or capsule collection; this is a moment where circular materials move from concept to a commercial reality of large-scale and broader adoption," said Dennis Nobelius, CEO of Syre. "This is a proud day for Syre and for everyone committed to making textile circulation the new normal."

As Syre accelerates the planning of its global recycling plant network—with its first large-scale facility scheduled to begin construction in Vietnam in 2027—this partnership further strengthens the foundation for its global expansion. This also adds significant momentum to Syre's growing roster of clients, which already includes the H&M Group and the launch partners announced earlier this year—GAP, Houdini Sportswear, and Target.

Dennis Nobelius added, "Together, we have demonstrated how genuine collaboration and commitment can open up the loop on a large scale. Every new partnership helps accelerate the construction of regional supply chains, allowing brands, suppliers, and consumers to participate in this great textile transformation."

About Syre

Syre is a textile impact company with a mission to decarbonize and dewater the textile industry through textile-to-textile recycling at an unprecedented speed and scale, starting with polyester. Syre aims to drive the green transformation of the textile industry so that every textile fiber can see a new day. The company's textile-to-textile recycling solutions offer recycled polyester with quality comparable to virgin polyester but with superior sustainable performance. Syre was founded in 2023, initiated by Vargas and the H&M Group. Syre's textile-to-textile recycling solutions provide recycled polyester with quality comparable to virgin polyester but with excellent sustainable performance, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 85% compared to petroleum-based virgin polyester.

Nike intensifies T2T circular recycled polyester.

Entered into a multi-year purchase agreement with Loop Industries.

Nike is increasing its commitment to T2T recycled polyester. Recently, Nike signed a multi-year purchase agreement with Loop Industries, a Canadian clean technology company accelerating the circular economy. Under the agreement, Loop will supply Twist, a high-quality recycled polyester resin made from pure textile waste, making Nike the primary customer of the Infinite Loop manufacturing facility in India, which is being built in collaboration with Ester Industries.

The agreement with Nike further advances the implementation of the Loop commercialization strategy and reflects Nike's commitment to sustainable innovation. Loop's Twist resin is a verifiable textile-to-textile solution that will be used to reduce the use of virgin and recycled flake polyester in Nike's product lines.

Driving Environmental Impact

Compared to fossil fuel-based polyester, the Infinite Loop factory in India is expected to achieve significant environmental savings (the 70,000-ton Infinite Loop plant is projected to save 418,600 tons of CO₂ annually compared to virgin PET). The plant is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 81%, resulting in a decrease of 418,600 tons of CO₂ emissions each year (a lifecycle assessment by Franklin Associates, a subsidiary of ERG, compared the kg of Loop PET with virgin PET in India. The CO₂ savings were compared to the production of virgin PET made from fossil fuels and the avoided incineration of waste used as feedstock). This CO₂ saving is equivalent to the annual reduction of driving mileage for gasoline-powered passenger vehicles by one billion miles.

Traceability

All products made using Twist will achieve complete traceability through Loop's proprietary chemical tracer technology. This system provides Nike with verifiable evidence of textile-to-textile recycling components.

"Our agreement with Loop Industries marks a critical step in transforming textile waste into high-performance materials," said Sitora Muzafarova, Nike's Vice President of Material Supply Chain. "This partnership reflects our commitment to expanding sustainable solutions that impact the environment while delivering exceptional products."

"We are very proud to have Nike as our core customer. This agreement is a significant milestone for both Loop Industries and Infinite Loop India," said Daniel Solomita, founder and CEO of Loop Industries. "The commitment of this iconic global brand is a strong validation of our strategy, which is to provide verifiable textile polyester resin and advance circular fashion for our apparel customers."

Arvind Singhania, Chairman of Ester Industries Limited, commented on this development: "We are honored to collaborate with Nike to advance its global sustainability goals. This partnership reflects the trust and confidence that leading multinational brands have in our ability to provide verifiable high-performance recycled materials on a large scale."

About Loop Industries

Loop Industries is a technology company with a mission to accelerate the world's shift to sustainable PET plastics and polyester fibers, moving away from reliance on fossil fuels. Loop Industries possesses patented and proprietary technology that can depolymerize worthless and low-value waste PET plastics and polyester fibers (including plastic bottle packaging and textiles like carpets and clothing) into their basic building monomers: DMT (dimethyl terephthalate) and MEG (ethylene glycol). The monomers are separated, purified, and polymerized to produce virgin-quality Loop & Twist brand PET resin suitable for food-grade packaging and polyester fibers, thereby helping to achieve sustainability goals. Loop & Twist PET can be infinitely recycled without quality degradation, contributing to closing the loop on plastics. Loop Industries is committed to contributing to a sustainable future and the global circular economy movement by reducing plastic waste and recycling waste plastics.

Addressing Material Challenges

Traditional physical recycling methods may lead to fiber shortening and quality degradation after multiple cycles. The chemical recycling technology used by Syre and Loop can "disassemble" and "reassemble" waste textiles at the molecular level, resulting in products that can match the quality of virgin polyester and meet the stringent functional requirements of high-performance sportswear. This provides a key material foundation for Nike to develop the next generation of high-performance environmentally friendly products.

Nike has a huge demand for polyester, with an estimated usage of approximately 183,600 tons in 2024. Currently, its recycled materials mainly come from recycled plastic bottles. The collaboration with Syre and Loop aims to establish a new, pure textile-to-textile (T2T) circular path. This approach does not rely on waste from other industries, such as plastic bottles, and can build a more self-sufficient and sustainable material supply system, marking an important step forward in the material circular transformation of the sportswear industry.

Globally, policies are increasingly inclined to encourage the circular economy. For example, the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) has set up a "Circular Economy Day" for the first time, elevating resource efficiency to the core agenda of global climate governance. Nike's move is a forward-looking arrangement in anticipation of potential future policy requirements, such as minimum content standards for recycled materials, helping it maintain initiative and leadership as industry regulations become stricter.

Overall, Nike's collaboration with Syre and Loop clearly indicates the industry's trend towards a closed-loop recycling of textile waste. This is an important strategic signal for brands and supply chain companies that focus on sustainability and wish to explore new materials.