French company Reju to build $390 million facility here

A French company plans to build a $390 million textile regeneration hub at Eastman Business Park, creating roughly 70 jobs.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that Reju has selected the vacant 18.9-acre site for its first U.S.-based industrial facility. The company, which focuses on polyester textiles and post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate waste, expects to regenerate the equivalent of 300 million articles annually—material that otherwise would have ended up as waste in a landfill.

“New York State is committed to creating good-paying jobs, and supporting innovative projects and companies that are working to keep materials out of landfills and protecting our planet,” Hochul said. “Reju’s ambitious project will create approximately 70 new jobs at Eastman Business Park, and will show how smart investments can turn waste into opportunity, further supporting our state’s overall green economy efforts and creating a brighter future for everyone.”

The jobs Reju expects to create include engineers, technicians, machinists, and a range of production positions.

After remediation of the site, Reju plans to build a 145,000-square-foot facility where it will use proprietary technology developed with IBM Research. The company says its regenerated material has a “50 percent lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester and is engineered to be recyclable multiple times, reducing the industry’s reliance on fossil-based inputs.”

The company expects the Rochester facility to be operational by the end of 2029.

“Reju’s $390 million investment is a significant milestone for Monroe County, creating high-quality green jobs and positioning our region as a global leader in the sustainable circular economy,” Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said. Rochester Mayor Malik Evans echoed Bello, saying the development “strengthen our economy’s position as an innovation hub in the growing waste-reduction market.”

Reju is receiving a $4 million capital grant from Empire State Development as well as up to $1 million from the Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program in exchange for job-creation commitments. The project also is getting assistance from Monroe County, the city of Rochester and Greater Rochester Enterprise

Reju has been operating a pilot facility in Frankfurt, Germany, since October 2024. Last May, the company said it had chosen a site in Sittard, the Netherlands, for its first full-scale operation in Europe.

“As our first regeneration hub in the United States, this site selection is a major leap forward in building a truly global circular system,” said Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju. “We are proud to bring Reju’s sustainable manufacturing and jobs to the Rochester community.”

Added Frisk: “Reju is investing in a future where post-consumer textile waste becomes a resource, not a liability. It’s a signal to the market that circularity at scale is possible and now is the time to ensure the momentum continues to build.”

As the Beacon reported last February, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes also is looking to play a role in the circular economy. Jennifer Lake, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, visited the Reju pilot plant in Frankfurt, named Regeneration Hub Zero, to see firsthand how its process works.

Reju is owned by Technip Energies, an engineering and technology company with more than 17,000 employees in 34 countries.

Paul Ericson is Rochester Beacon executive editor.

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