Analyst Unpacks Spinnova’s Circular Deal with Renewcell
With the growing push to improve circularity in the fashion and textile industries, the ability to scale textile recycling operations to create new fibers on a larger scale has become a more immediate need.
Sustainable fiber innovator Spinnova and Swedish textile recycler Renewcell think they may have found the solution, introducing a new technology concept designed to facilitate scaling textile fiber made from waste. Using a patented process, Renewcell recycles cellulosic-rich textile waste such as cotton and viscose, transforming it into a pulp product called Circulose.
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Biodegradable Circulose, which is made of 100 percent recycled textiles, has only been used to create man-made cellulosic fibers, such as viscose. But Spinnova’s new process allows Circulose fibers to be spun into bio-based textile fibers without adding harmful chemicals.
“The textile industry is in the middle of a massive change, when moving from a linear business model to a circular economy. Change requires new partnerships and brave, innovative players,” said Patrik Lundström, CEO at Renewcell. “Learning more about Spinnova’s technology has been really exciting and we can’t wait to launch the first collection made from Circulose using Spinnova’s unique fibre spinning technology.”
The new fiber, dubbed Spinnova fiber made with Circulose, has been produced for yarn and fabric development, with the first prototypes made from a combination of cotton and Circulose. Spinnova and Renewcell are currently assessing options to start scaling their textile-to-textile production process, with the goal of creating a consumer collection using Spinnova fiber made with Circulose. They anticipate that first collection will enter the global market in late 2024.
“The fashion and textile industry needs new solutions and collaboration across its supply chain, which makes this such an exciting partnership for us,” said Ben Selby, deputy CEO of Spinnova. “Our goal is to accelerate the fashion industry’s transition to a circular economy and explore options to scale textile-to-textile fibre production. Developing our partnership with the skilled Renewcell team has been a great pleasure and the first tests combining Renewcell’s material and Spinnova’s technology have been very promising.”
For Tiffany Hua, research analyst for Boston-based materials innovation research and advisory firm Lux Research, seeing the collaborators “partner up and pool resources really showcases the progress and maturity that both have achieved” after operating in same innovation sphere for several years.
Renewcell, she said, appears to be approaching the mid-way point in ramping up its Renewcell 1 plant and has laid out its expansion roadmap plans. It’s racked up Circulose “offtakers” such as Inditex’s popular Zara and previously forged a Lenzing partnership similar to the new Spinnova arrangement, Hua added.
Spinnova, on the other hand, has been plugging away on commercializing its textile fibers made from FSC-certified wood with Suzano, while looking at the processing of cellulosic and cotton waste as a “medium-term endeavor,” Hua pointed out. The partnership, she continued, means Spinnova is “taking a step forward in advancing its fiber processing technology.”
“Aside from the great progress of the two companies independently, the partnership between Renewcell and Spinnova is quite synergistic,” Hua said. “Renewcell’s Circulose pulp with high cellulosic content and low contamination levels is ideal for Spinnova’s microfibrillated fiber spinning process. The partnership is especially advantageous for Spinnova as it is free from the burden of textile waste management. As Renewcell aims to double its production capacity in the coming years, we expect this partnership to deepen.”
