#Recycling / Circular Economy

2025-05-22

Reuters: Circ to build landmark €450 million textile recycling plant in France

According to Reuters, U.S.-based recycling company Circ is set to construct what it calls the world’s first industrial-scale facility capable of recycling both cotton and polyester from blended textiles. Backed by the French government and the European Union, the plant will be located in Saint-Avold, northeastern France, and is expected to begin operations in 2028. Once fully operational, it will process up to 70,000 metric tons of material annually and create around 200 jobs.

The €450 million (approximately $500 million) project is being financed through a mix of equity and debt and aims to access additional state support, including France’s Strategic Projects Guarantee. Circ CEO Peter Majeranowski told Reuters that the plant represents a turning point for the textile industry, which struggles with recycling blended fabrics that dominate today’s clothing.

Circ’s hydrothermal technology allows polyester to be broken down without damaging the cotton, enabling both fibers to be recovered and reused in a single process. Retailers such as Inditex (parent company of Zara) and Patagonia have already invested in Circ and are using its recycled materials in their products.

The new facility is intended to serve as a model for future sites around the globe, as demand grows from brands and suppliers working to meet stricter climate and sustainability goals.

Circ announces its first sourcing partnership with H&M Group

Circ®, the only textile-to-textile recycler capable of taking polycotton blends and fully recovering both the polyester and the cellulose for reuse, today announced a collaboration with H&M Group. For the first time, H&M will incorporate Circ’s recycled fibers from polycotton textile waste into its product offerings. The first products debut in Fall 2025, with a womenswear v-neck fleece sweatshirt made with Circ® Polyester and expands in Spring 2026 with menswear denim crafted with TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ Technology.

Niccolò Pasqualetti debuts Circ’s recycled materials at Paris Fashion Week

On October 5, 2025, textile-to-textile recycling innovator Circ® was featured at Paris Fashion Week, collaborating with experimental designer Niccolò Pasqualetti. Two looks from Pasqualetti’s Spring/Summer 2026 Collection were crafted with Circ® Lyocell – with the help of Italian textile mill Tessilgodi – and debuted on the runway, marking the material’s first-ever appearance at Paris Fashion Week.

Patrick McDowell brings Circ’s recycled Polyester filament to the Runway at London Fashion Week

Circ®, a US-based textile-to-textile recycling innovator, is making history at London Fashion Week with renowned designer Patrick McDowell. For the first time, a recycled polyester filament made from polycotton blended fabric waste will appear on the runway on September 20, 2025 in McDowell’s Spring/Summer Collection.

ADVANSA launches ADVA®tex: A new step toward textile-to-textile recycling

ADVANSA has introduced ADVA®tex, a new filling fibre made entirely from recycled pre-consumer textile waste, positioning the material as a significant step forward in textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling. The fibre is designed for use in duvets, pillows, mattresses, and furniture applications and is available in three versions.

European research project addresses textile waste through integrated recycling technologies

A major European research initiative coordinated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT has been launched to develop integrated solutions for textile waste recycling. The AUTOLOOP project aims to create a comprehensive system that could process 1.24 million tonnes of textile waste annually by 2050, whilst potentially creating over 130,000 green jobs across the EU. This project aims to develop, test and integrate automated sorting, tracing, and closed-loop recycling technologies for polyester-based textiles (NRT), addressing the pressing challenge of textile waste management.

Navis TubeTex announces U.S. partnership with Icomatex

Navis TubeTex, a global leader in advanced dyeing and finishing machinery solutions, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Icomatex (www.icomatex.com), a respected European manufacturer of high-quality stenters and textile finishing equipment. Under this agreement, Navis TubeTex will exclusively represent the Icomatex stenter line in the United States.

KARL MAYER celebrates 35 years of EL pattern drive

KARL MAYER is celebrating an anniversary this year: on 30 November 1990, the first warp knitting machine with electronic guide bar control, the KS 4 EL, was delivered – another milestone for patterning. As early as 1980, the SU gearbox with the MRS42SU had initiated the transition from mechanical chains to digital data.

The region of renewable raw materials: Central German Alliance for Bioplastics

The development of sustainable plastic solutions is rapidly gaining importance in light of global environ- mental pollution, dwindling fossil resources and ambitious climate protection targets. As part of the re- gional alliance RUBIO, which brings together 18 partners from central Germany and the Berlin-Branden- burg area, the bio-based and biodegradable plastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) was comprehensively investigated, starting with the raw material, through the manufacturing process, to industrial application.

YKK receives ISPO Textrends Awards for circular innovations

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) is pleased to announce that the ISPO Textrends judges have selected YKK's 3D Composite Puller as the Best Product in the Accessories category. They also selected YKK’s NATULON Plus® Fiber Sourced™ zipper with Recycled PET Open Parts as a Top 5 item in the same category. The competition, held twice a year in conjunction with the ISPO trade show, recognizes the most innovative performance textiles, components, and apparel.