WSA Panel: Fibre-to-fibre at scale

A textile engineer, Koen De Ruyck has worked in the textile industry for 36 years and is now general manager of PurFi Rejuvenation, a joint venture between Concordia Textiles and PurFi Global.

Samuel Goldstein is Chief Operating Officer of Earth Protex. With experience in the textile and financial consulting industries, he has designed circular and regenerative materials processing technologies for agro-waste residues, including spearheading initiatives such as Fashion for Good’s ‘Untapped Agricultural Waste Project’. He has worked with many leading brands and retailers to set up recycling programs, including Tapestry (Coach, Kate Spade) H&M (Arket, COS and Weekday), Bestseller, Converse, Nike, Gina Tricot, Mango and Ganni.

Sophie Bramel is a freelance journalist who has been writing on smart textiles, sportswear and fashion for the past twenty years. Consultant Technical Editor for World Sports Activewear (WSA), she has also authored several books on the history, development and future of functional fibers and fabrics.

With over 30 years' experience in garment manufacturing, Tim Cross founded Project Plan B to create recyclable clothing and partnered with Salvation Army Trading Company to set up Project Re:claim, the UK’s first commercial-scale textile-to-textile polyester recycling facility.

Cross also founded the non-profit Circular Textiles Foundation (CTF), which aims to bridge the gap between clothing brands and post-consumer textile recycling technologies via workshops — focusing on design for recyclability and the use of recycled content — and certification. In 2024, the UK Intellectual Property Office recognised the CTF’s 'Infintee' mark as the country’s official certification mark for recyclable clothing.