SOEX Group

SOEX Group is a German group of companies focused on the collection, sorting, marketing, reuse, and recycling of used textiles and shoes. Its headquarters are in Ahrensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, while important sorting and recycling operations have been located in Wolfen, Saxony-Anhalt. The group developed from a trading business founded by Sourein Ohanian in 1977 and gradually concentrated on used textiles after initially operating more broadly in trade, including used vehicles. The business expanded geographically during the 1980s and early 1990s, reaching markets in Europe, South America, and the Middle East. A significant step in the development of its textile operations came in 1993, when SOEX acquired EFIBA, a company involved in the collection of used textiles. The group subsequently invested in its own industrial infrastructure. Construction of a sorting facility in Bitterfeld-Wolfen began in 1997, and the plant entered operation the following year with around 150 employees. A recycling facility was added in 1999, creating an integrated base for sorting garments and other used textile goods and processing materials that could no longer be marketed for direct reuse. The Wolfen operation became one of the group’s principal production sites. After a third shift was introduced in 2004, the sorting and recycling operation employed nearly 700 people and was described as capable of handling up to approximately 300 tonnes of used textiles per day. Its activities included sorting incoming textiles, directing reusable items toward second-hand markets, and sending unsuitable material into recycling or other forms of utilization. This model linked collection and resale with material recovery rather than treating all discarded clothing as a single waste stream. SOEX Group’s corporate network has included Soex Textil-Vermarktungsgesellschaft m.b.H. in Ahrensburg, Soex Processing Germany GmbH and Soex Recycling Germany GmbH in Wolfen, and international collection and recycling-related entities. I:Collect GmbH, commonly associated with the I:CO name, provided services for the collection, reuse, and recycling of textiles and shoes, including handling remnants, overproduction, customer returns, complaints, and goods with manufacturing defects. National companies associated with this activity were established in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, France, and the United States. The group also maintained a United Kingdom operation in Redhill, Surrey, and added a site in the Hamriyah Free Trade Zone of the United Arab Emirates in 2016. The group’s stated operating model combines logistics, sorting, second-hand marketing, and recycling. This gives SOEX a position between textile collection systems, apparel retailers and brands seeking take-back or recovery services, and downstream markets for used clothing and recovered fibers or materials. Its activities address both the commercial resale of wearable garments and the treatment of items that are damaged, obsolete, or otherwise unsuitable for direct reuse. The Wolfen sorting plant was reported as closed in January 2025. The available reference material does not establish whether this closure represented a group-wide cessation of operations, a restructuring, or a change in the location of processing capacity. Accordingly, SOEX Group’s continuing corporate status and the full configuration of its operations after that closure should be verified against current company or registry information.

SOEX Group traces its origins to 1977, when Sourein Ohanian founded Soex Textil- und Autohandels-GmbH in Erwitte, North Rhine-Westphalia. The original business was not limited to textiles: it also traded in used automobiles. In 1982, the company moved to Bad Oldesloe. During the following decade it expanded its trading activities into Europe, South America, and the Middle East, while progressively focusing on the used-textile sector. In 1993, SOEX acquired EFIBA, a business specializing in the collection of used textiles. The transaction strengthened the group’s access to textile collection flows and supported its transition from trading toward a more integrated collection, sorting, and reuse model. SOEX later developed its own industrial processing capacity in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. The foundation stone for a sorting plant operated by Soex-Sortierbetriebsgesellschaft mbH was laid in 1997. The facility began operating in 1998 with approximately 150 employees. A dedicated recycling plant was inaugurated at the Wolfen site in 1999. The combination of sorting and recycling allowed SOEX to separate wearable goods for second-hand markets from materials requiring further processing. The site expanded its labor capacity over time; after the introduction of a third shift in 2004, nearly 700 employees were reported to work across the sorting and recycling operations. The facility was also described as processing as much as 300 tonnes of used textiles per day. SOEX’s international structure broadened through collection, service, and operating companies. Its network included the Ahrensburg-based Soex Textil-Vermarktungsgesellschaft m.b.H., the Wolfen-based Soex Processing Germany GmbH and Soex Recycling Germany GmbH, and I:Collect GmbH, also known as I:CO. I:CO operated as an international service provider for textile and shoe collection, reuse, and recycling. Its scope included not only post-consumer clothing and footwear but also remnants, overproduction, complaints, customer returns, and goods affected by production defects. National companies were associated with Germany, Great Britain, China, France, and the United States. SOEX also had a United Kingdom operation in Redhill, Surrey, and added a facility in the United Arab Emirates in 2016. Through these activities, the group developed an integrated business model covering collection logistics, industrial sorting, second-hand marketing, and material recovery. This model enabled garments to be directed to different outcomes according to condition and marketability: direct reuse, resale through second-hand channels, recycling, or other utilization. It also made the group a service provider for organizations seeking to manage textile take-back and unsold or defective inventory. The Wolfen plant was reported closed in January 2025. The supplied reference does not explain whether the closure affected only that facility or formed part of a broader restructuring. Current information on SOEX Group’s ownership, management, operating footprint, and post-closure activities therefore remains incomplete.

• 2025

  Wolfen plant closure reported

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The Wolfen sorting plant was reported to have closed in January 2025.

• 2016

  United Arab Emirates location added

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group added a site in the Hamriyah Free Trade Zone in the United Arab Emirates.

• 2004

  Third shift introduced at Wolfen

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The introduction of a third shift brought employment at the Wolfen sorting and recycling operation to nearly 700 people.

• 1999

  Wolfen recycling facility inaugurated

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  SOEX added a recycling plant at its Wolfen industrial site.

• 1998

  Wolfen sorting plant opens

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The Wolfen sorting plant began operating with approximately 150 employees.

• 1997

  Wolfen sorting plant construction begins

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation stone was laid for SOEX’s own sorting operation in Bitterfeld-Wolfen.

• 1993

  Acquisition of EFIBA

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  SOEX acquired EFIBA, a company specializing in used-textile collection.

• 1982

  Move to Bad Oldesloe

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The company relocated from Erwitte to Bad Oldesloe as it expanded its trading activities.

• 1977

  Founding of the predecessor company

  [1]SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Sourein Ohanian founded Soex Textil- und Autohandels-GmbH in Erwitte, establishing the business that later developed into SOEX Group.

An integrated textile circularity and resource-recovery group serving collection systems, second-hand markets, apparel companies, and recycling channels.

• Textile recovery service

  Used textile collection and sorting

  SOEX collects used garments and other textile goods and sorts them according to condition, type, and possible destination. Wearable items can be directed toward second-hand markets, while damaged or unsuitable materials can be sent for recycling or other forms of utilization. This sorting function is central to the group’s integrated operating model.

• Reuse and resale

  Second-hand textile marketing

  The group markets collected textiles for reuse through second-hand channels. The activity connects industrial collection and grading with downstream demand for used clothing and other reusable textile products. The available material does not identify specific consumer-facing retail brands or sales channels operated by SOEX.

• Material recycling · 1999

  Textile recycling

  SOEX operates or has operated recycling activities for textiles that cannot be sold directly for reuse. The Wolfen site combined sorting with recycling and was described as processing large volumes of used textiles. The supplied sources do not specify particular recycled-fiber technologies, product specifications, or customer brands.

• Take-back and circularity services

  I:CO collection and recovery services

  I:Collect GmbH, associated with the I:CO name, provided collection, reuse, and recycling services for textiles and shoes. Its scope also covered remnants, overproduction, complaints, returns, and goods with production defects, allowing apparel companies and other organizations to route multiple categories of excess or unwanted goods into reuse and recovery systems.

1. 1SOEX Groupen.wikipedia.org