Re:newcell has created Circulose, a new, eco-friendly material made by recovering cotton from worn-out clothes. This is then transformed into a pristine, new material for reuse in fashion. Through its patented process, Circulose takes clothes containing cellulose, such as cotton and viscose, and transforms them into a biodegradable material that the fashion industry can make new clothes from. The process reduces the reliance on virgin cotton, oil production, and the harvesting of trees using less water, fewer chemicals, and emitting less CO2.
Re:newcell, based in Sweden, is a sustainable fashion company founded in 2012. It can produce 7,000 tons of biodegradable Circulose pulp a year, equaling about 30 million T-shirts by weight. It spent years creating and perfecting Circulose to ensure it brings the industry a great quality, affordable, circular material. The company’s aim is to upcycle a billion garments a year by 2030.
More than 50 brands have lined up to start using Circulose on a global level. Circulose was developed in response to the waste and pollution currently caused by the fashion industry which generates more greenhouse gases than international aviation and shipping combined. Additionally, less than one per cent of textile clothing is recycled, with the vast majority of unwanted or worn out garments ending up in landfills or incineration plants.
