What We Saw at the Show
The Textiles Recycling Expo USA drew a broad cross-section of the industry for its inaugural US edition. AMI built the event based on the success of its European debut in Brussels, which attracted more than 3,300 visitors from 67 countries. The Charlotte show brought that same energy and focus to North America for the first time.
The conversations on the floor reflected where the industry actually is right now, and it was genuinely exciting to be part of them. Brands are serious about building out recycling programs and they need processing partners. Recyclers are scaling up and working through the technical challenges of handling mixed textile streams. Chemical recyclers and fiber-to-fiber processors are defining their feedstock specifications and looking for suppliers who can hit them consistently. And across every conversation, the question of what size-reduction equipment can reliably handle textile waste kept coming up.
That is the conversation ZERMA America is built for.
Why Textile Recycling Is a Different Kind of Size-Reduction Challenge
Textile waste is one of the more demanding feedstocks you can put through industrial size-reduction equipment. The material that comes out of a collection bin, a brand take-back program, or a retail return stream is rarely clean, consistent, or easy to process. You are dealing with mixed fiber types, varying bulk density, hardware like zippers and buttons, elastic materials that behave differently under cutting stress, and layered constructions that were designed to hold together through years of wear.
The machines that handle this well share certain characteristics. They need high torque at low speed to work through tough or dense material without stalling. They need cutting geometry that manages fiber without wrapping. Screen selection needs to be right for the output particle size the downstream process requires. And the machine needs to run continuously in production conditions without requiring constant operator attention to clear jams or adjust parameters.
ZERMA’s shredder and granulator lineup was not designed specifically for textiles, but it has the engineering characteristics that make it well suited to the application. Our customers running textile streams have confirmed that in practice.
ZERMA Equipment for Textile Recycling Applications
General Purpose Single-Shaft Shredder
A strong starting point for bulk textile size reduction. Controlled output through screen selection, consistent throughput on mixed-fiber bales and collected garments.
Heavy-Duty Shredder
Built for tough material streams including denim, carpet, footwear, and high-density textile bales. Higher torque for continuous operation on demanding feedstocks.
Shredder-Granulator Combination
Two-stage processing in a single system. First-pass shredding followed by granulation to a consistent particle size for fiber-to-fiber or chemical recycling feedstock preparation.
Horizontal Shredder
Suited for high-volume textile streams, baled input, and applications where horizontal feed is preferred. Good throughput on bulk material with manageable footprint.
Heavy-Duty and Compact Granulators
For secondary size reduction of pre-shredded textile material, bringing output particle size down to the finer specifications required by mechanical and chemical recyclers.
Plastics Pulverizer
For applications requiring very fine output from thermoplastic-content textile material. Produces consistent powder suitable for certain types of chemical recycling feedstock.
Test Your Material Before You Buy
One of the most valuable things we can offer a processor evaluating equipment for a textile application is a material test. Send us a representative sample of your feedstock and our testing facility will run it through the equipment, document the process on video, and send the processed output back to you so you can evaluate the results before any purchase decision is made.
This is not a standard offering in our industry. Most equipment suppliers will tell you a machine can handle your material based on general application categories. We will show you how your specific material actually processes and what the output looks like, then give you a machine recommendation grounded in those test results.
What the Material Test Includes
We run your sample through the equipment we think fits your application, document the feed and processing behavior on video, size screen selection for your target output, and ship the processed material back to you. You walk away with real data, not estimates, and a clear equipment recommendation based on how your material actually performed.
Virtus Equipment Direct: Parts and Machines Online
ZERMA America machines and spare parts are available through Virtus Equipment Direct, our online parts and equipment store. You can browse and order directly without having to contact a sales rep for routine parts needs. For textile recyclers who need to keep their lines running, quick access to replacement knives, screens, and wear parts makes a real difference in keeping downtime short.
For textile recyclers who need to keep their lines running, having spare parts available for online ordering without waiting on a manual process is a real operational advantage. Knives, screens, and wear parts wear out in production. Quick access to replacements keeps downtime short.
Shop ZERMA Parts and Machines Online
ZERMA America shredder and granulator parts and machines are available to order online now through Virtus Equipment Direct.
We Will Be Back at the Textiles Recycling Expo USA in 2027
The next Textiles Recycling Expo USA is scheduled for April 7-8, 2027 in Charlotte, NC. Based on what we experienced at the 2026 inaugural event, the 2027 show will be larger and the conversations will reflect an industry that has moved further along in scaling its processing infrastructure. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone who stopped by this year and look forward to seeing the community grow at the next event. ZERMA America will be there.
If you were at the 2026 show and want to continue a conversation, or if you are working on a textile recycling project and want to talk equipment, reach out to our team or request a material test to get the process started.
Let’s Talk Textile Recycling
Whether you need equipment guidance, want to test your material, or are ready to discuss a specific project, our team is ready to help.
