#Recycling / Circular Economy

2020-12-10

Recover, the leader in sustainable recycled cotton, announces new funding to scale operations and close the loop on fashion

Recover is a family-owned company bringing more than 70 years of innovation in the production of sustainable, recycled cotton fiber; STORY3 Capital invests and fuels expansion

Recover™, a leading material sciences company and producer of sustainable, premium recycled cotton fiber and cotton fiber blends, through a strategic partnership with STORY3 Capital, is expanding to meet the surging demand from the global fashion industry. This strategic partnership will accelerate Recover’s efforts to transform the fashion industry by solving one of the world’s biggest environmental issues. STORY3 Capital brings significant investment, resources, and best-in-class operators to achieve Recover’s growth initiatives.

“We immediately saw the potential to impact the pent-up demand for recycled cotton by scaling production and working with the industry to innovate and migrate to Recover Fibers.”

The adverse environmental impact of the fashion industry is staggering, and the industry is lagging behind its climate action commitments and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cotton is one of the most damaging crops grown on earth, requiring large amounts of water, pesticides, and land. As an example, one t-shirt requires 2,700 liters of water, equivalent to what an average person drinks in three years(1).

Recover recycles industrial and pre- and post-consumer cotton waste, replacing the need to cultivate cotton, limiting the use of dyes through its ColorBlend system, and reducing textile landfill waste. Through its proprietary technology using a combination of art and science, Recover provides cost competitive, maximum performance fibers for both rotor and ring spinning applications. Per the Higg Material Sustainability Index, Recover’s recycled cotton fiber has the lowest environmental impact score in the world.

As a result of the investment, Recover will increase its production to 200,000 metric tons of recycled cotton fiber per year by 2025. This will save nearly three trillion liters of water each year, equivalent to the drinking water consumed by 3 billion people on an annual basis, and allow 500,000 acres of land to be directed away from cotton cultivation for other uses.

Peter Comisar, Founder and CEO of STORY3 Capital and former Partner at Goldman Sachs & Co. said, “Recover is uniquely positioned to be the global sustainability leader in cotton recycling by acting as an agent of change within the industry, and quickly becoming the gold standard in closing the loop on fashion.” Ben Malka, Operating Partner at STORY3 Capital and Executive Chairman of Recover stated, “We immediately saw the potential to impact the pent-up demand for recycled cotton by scaling production and working with the industry to innovate and migrate to Recover Fibers.”

Recover is part of a fourth-generation family-owned company with a 70-year long history in textile recycling technology. Under the leadership of the Ferre family, Recover has specialized in creating premium recycled cotton fiber from textile waste using proprietary technology and innovative mechanical recycling machinery. The fiber is ultimately spun into yarn by supply chain partners and transformed into finished apparel garments and home textiles. Recover has supplied its recycled cotton and cotton blend fibers to illustrious brands such as Wrangler, H&M Group, Tommy Hilfiger, G-Star, The Northface, Billabong and Bonobo among many others during its rich history.

“My family has been innovating for generations to perfect the Recover process, which is primed to be fashion industry’s biggest resource in meeting its sustainability goals,” said Alfredo Ferre, CEO of Recover. “We’re proud to offer potential partners the highest quality and lowest-impact fiber available in today’s market, and we look forward to increasing our sustainability footprint thanks to our partnership with STORY3 Capital.”

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Industrial scale meets verified governance: RE&UP is now B Corp™ certified

RE&UP, the circular-tech transforming global textile waste into high-volume Next-Gen materials, has officially become a Certified B Corporation™. The milestone establishes the industrial recycler among a select group of manufacturing infrastructure providers verified as meeting B Lab Standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Recover™ and Ünteks Group partner to scale recycled cotton in knitwear

Recover(TM), a global producer of low‐impact, high‐quality recycled cotton fiber, announces a new partnership with Ünteks Group, a vertically integrated textile manufacturer based in Turkey. The collaboration focuses on the development of circular knit fabrics and garments, combining Recover’s recycled cotton fiber with Ünteks Group’s integrated capabilities across knitting, dyeing, printing, and garment production.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.