Renewcell Names 47 Companies in Circulose Supplier Network
Renewcell has the support of global yarn and textile producers.
The Swedish sustainable technology company this week announced the launch of the Circulose Supplier Network (CSN), a group of 47 “early adopters” in 12 countries with first access to production-ready volumes of the circular raw material.
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Circulose is derived from the 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 different types of regenerated fibers, including viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other man-made cellulosic fibers.
In November last year, Renewcell opened Renewcell 1, its first-ever industrial-scale chemical textile-to-textile recycling facility in Sundsvall, Sweden. The company dispatched the first shipment of Circulose dissolving pulp produced at the facility a month later. Renewcell 1 will scale up to produce 120,000 metric tons of pulp, equivalent to 600 million T-shirts.
“The implementation of the Circulose Supplier Network is integral to continue scaling the Circulose product,” said Patrik Lundström, Renewell CEO. “With availability across the textile supply chain, fashion brands now have numerous circular options to design and create clothing with Circulose.”
Viscose made with Circulose is currently available from suppliers including Tangshan Sanyou and Yibin Grace through Renewcell’s commercial partner Ekman. CSN demonstrates Circulose’s versatility, however.
Denim mills make up a large part of the group of yarn and textile producers helping scale the production of the circular alternative to virgin fibers.
CSN member Prosperity Textiles in China has developed a denim capsule with Circulose to offer clients less wasteful solutions for their favorite fabrics. “Using a breakthrough process, this regenerated fiber is made from 100 percent textile waste like worn-out jeans and production scraps and fits in with Prosperity’s vision for a more resilient future—without compromising on quality and design,” said Bart Van De Woestyne, Prosperity Textile creative director.
Circulose complements the mechanical and chemical circular strategies that CSN member Diamond Denim is using to cut its carbon footprint and water consumption. “We believe Circulose is one of the best options to achieve our sustainability points without compromising fabric visual look and performances,” said Maurizio Baldi, Diamond Denim R&D manager.
Other CSN denim producers include Arvind, Beximco, Shasha Denims, Tat Fung Textile Co. Ltd./Panther Denim. Crystal Group, Cone Denim, Sapphire Textile Mills, Artistic Milliners, Soorty, AGI Denim, Kipas, Orta and Calik.
Renewcell is ramping up efforts to bring Circulose to market as a certified and traceable ingredient.
In June, Renewcell 1 received RCS certification denoting compliance with the Recycled Claim Standard. It also entered into an agreement with TextileGenesis to implement full traceability for Circulose across the entire textile suppler chain. TextileGenesis technology allows Renewcell to share real-time digital traceability with all Circulose customers and supply chain partners using digital tokens that guarantee a secure chain of custody from scrap to retail.
