#Recycling / Circular Economy

2020-07-09

Södra can now produce RCS-certified OnceMore™ pulp

Södra received its certification (1) according to the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) on 24 June. The aim of RCS is to increase the use of recycled materials. “This certification enables Södra to produce and sell RCS-certified OnceMore™ pulp. It means that customers receive a promise that recycled cotton has been added to the mixture and that the cotton is derived from collected textiles that would otherwise have been treated as waste,” said Eva Gustafsson, Sustainability Coordinator at Södra.

The Recycled Claim Standard is an international, voluntary standard that sets requirements for third-party certification of products containing recycled material. The certification is administered by Textile Exchange, an organisation focused on increasing sustainability in the textile industry and the textile supply chain.

“The Recycled Claim Standard is intended to show that you are processing and selling products that contain at least 5 percent recycled material. For Södra, this means that we can sell our OnceMore™ pulp with an admixture of recycled cotton as RCS-certified. RCS certification of products sold to end-consumers requires certification and traceability throughout the supply chain. The certification shows that our OnceMore™ pulp contains cotton that really is recycled and derived from collected textiles that would otherwise have been treated as waste,” said Eva Gustafsson.

With OnceMore™, Södra has created a globally unique solution where large volumes of used cotton and blended fabrics can be re-used to make new clothing and textiles. Only a negligible proportion of all textiles are re-used today. Nearly everything is sent to landfill or incineration. That will change now that Södra can accept large amounts of textiles for recycling.

The long-term target is to use 25,000 tonnes/year of textiles that would otherwise be treated as waste.“Following our launch of OnceMore™ in autumn 2019, we received several inquiries from brands and other players in the textile supply chain. One of the most common requests was that we obtain RCS certification. I am very pleased that we have already become certified, which is proof that we can offer products containing recycled textiles. Now I hope that the rest of the textile supply chain will follow suit so that RCS-certified garments and other textiles materials based on our OnceMore™ technology will soon be available in stores”, said Johannes Bogren, Vice President, Södra Cell Bioproducts.

(1) Certified by Control Union, CU 1059293

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