International Network to Bring Textile Recycling Pulp to the Market
Renewcell, a Swedish sustain-tech company that developed a patented process, which enables the recycling of cellulosic textile waste, has announced the launch of the CIRCULOSE Supplier Network (CSN).
The group currently consists of forty-seven yarn and textile producers helping drive the circular economy forward by enabling a steady supply of CIRCULOSE to the market. The launch would mark “a significant milestone in the advancement of the circular economy in the fashion industry,” Renewcell and the group members are convinced.
According to Renewcell, it opened the first-ever industrial-scale chemical textile-to-textile recycling facility in November 2022 in Sundsvall (Sweden), aptly named “Renewcell 1”. The company dispatched the first shipment of CIRCULOSE dissolving pulp produced in December of the same year. “With the recent RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certification achieved at ‘Renewcell 1’, accredited CIRCULOSE pulp is now being produced on a larger scale,” the Swedish firm gave account. “With an initial annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons, ‘Renewcell 1’ will be scaled up to produce 120,000 metric tons of pulp, equivalent to 600 million t-shirts.”
CIRCULOSE is a raw material derived from recovering cellulose found in worn-out clothing and transformed into a dissolving pulp made from 100 percent recycled textiles. “The pulp serves as the foundation for various types of regenerated fibers, including viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other man-made cellulosic fibers,” Renewcell pointed out. “Currently viscose made with CIRCULOSE is available from suppliers including Tangshan Sanyou and Yibin Grace through our commercial partner Ekman.”
The CIRCULOSE Supplier Network is comprised of yarn and textile producers streamlining CIRCULOSE production across the supply chain. These early adopters were revolutionizing the marketplace by becoming the first to access volumes of the “next generation” raw material. By joining the CSN, “members are committing to the continuous development of circular solutions and play a vital role in sustainable textiles and end products under the CIRCULOSE brand name”, the Swedish pulp provider underlined.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2023, Page 37, Photo: Renewcell)
