Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju; Jennifer Lake, President & CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes; and Regional Leaders gather to spotlight community-driven circularity efforts
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Reju, the textile-to-textile regeneration company transforming post-consumer textiles into new materials, and Goodwill of the Finger Lakes gathered with dignitaries today to celebrate Rochester’s growing leadership in textile circularity highlighting how local partnerships are helping keep textiles in use, reduce waste, and create long-term economic and environmental value.
The gathering brings together Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju, Jennifer Lake, President & CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, US Congressman Joe Morelle, NYS Assemblywoman Sarah Clark, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, Steven Preston, President & CEO of Goodwill Industries International, Bob Duffy, CEO of Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, Vincent Esposito of Empire State Development, Matt Hurlbutt of Greater Rochester Enterprise, and other regional leaders, reinforcing a shared commitment to building a circular textile system rooted in community impact, innovation, and sustained investment in the Rochester region.
Together, Reju and Goodwill of the Finger Lakes are strengthening efforts to keep more textiles in productive use, prioritizing donation and reuse, improving diversion of nonwearable textiles, and enabling next-generation textile-to-textile regeneration as the system scales. Their collaboration builds on a multi-year initiative launched in 2024 alongside WM advancing textile circularity across North America.
“Rochester isn’t just where we’re building infrastructure, it’s where circularity becomes real,” said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. “By working alongside trusted local partners like Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, the business community, and our government partners, we’re connecting community-based reuse with advanced regeneration technology to keep textiles out of landfills and create lasting value for this community.”
Reju recently selected Rochester as the site of its first U.S. industrial-scale Regeneration Hub, planned for Eastman Business Park. The future facility will take textiles that are heading for the waste stream and recycle them to produce rBHET that can be repolymerized into high-quality polyester for new textile applications. The project remains subject to a final investment decision by the board of Technip Energies, Reju’s parent company.
Goodwill of the Finger Lakes plays a critical role at the front end of the circular system, leveraging decades of experience in donation-driven reuse, resale and responsible end-of-life pathways for textiles.
“We are thrilled with Reju’s decision to locate their first U.S. regeneration hub in Rochester, New York, underscoring the city’s enduring role as a center of innovation. From Eastman Kodak to Bausch & Lomb, Rochester has shaped industries—and now Reju is helping to build the future of circular textiles here,” said Jennifer Lake, President & CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes. “Reju will address one of the fastest-growing yet least understood waste streams in the United States: post-use textiles. Their breakthrough approach will divert discarded materials from landfills and transform them into valuable, sustainable resources, giving them new life. We are excited to announce that the Northeast Goodwill Circularity Hub, a collective of eleven Goodwills, led by Goodwill Finger Lakes, has signed an agreement with Reju to supply polyester-rich materials to the Regeneration Hub. We welcome the opportunity to partner more with Reju in the future.”
About Goodwill of the Finger Lakes
A 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes positively impacts the lives of more than 171,000 people each year through its mission: elevating people, community and planet for a good today and better tomorrow. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, the organization’s unique social enterprise model takes an innovative approach to sustainability, workforce development and job creation opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment while also generating revenue to support its many community impact programs and services. Goodwill’s community impact programs include Goodwill Vision Enterprises (formerly ABVI, Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired), 211/LIFE LINE, workforce development, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and Goodwill Learning Academy have a long and successful history of providing essential services to the Finger Lakes region, and the organization’s more than 750 individuals use their passion and expertise to find innovative solutions to address pressing social needs. Learn more at goodwillfingerlakes.org
About Reju
Reju is a textile-to-textile materials regeneration company focusing on creating innovative solutions for recycling post-consumer polyester textiles and PET waste. Owned by Technip Energies and utilizing technology developed with IBM research, Reju aims to establish a global circular textile system to address PET plastic found in post-consumer textile waste. Learn more at www.reju.com
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