Spinnova + Renewcell join forces to advance the circular future of fashion – Sourcing Journal

With the growing push to improve the circular economy in the fashion and textile industries, the ability to scale textile recycling operations to produce new fibers on a larger scale has become a more pressing need.

Sustainable fiber innovator Spinnova and Swedish textile recycler Renewcell believe they have found the solution by introducing a new technology concept designed to make it easier to scale textile fibers from waste. Using a patented process, Renewcell recycles cellulosic textile waste such as cotton and viscose and converts it into a pulp product called Circulose.

Biodegradable Circulose, which consists of 100 percent recycled textiles, has previously only been used to produce artificial cellulose fibers such as viscose. But Spinnova’s new process makes it possible to spin Circulose fibers into bio-based textile fibers without the addition of harmful chemicals.

“The textile industry is in the midst of a massive transformation, transitioning from a linear business model to a circular economy. Change requires new partnerships and bold, innovative actors,” said Patrik Lundström, CEO of Renewcell. “It was really exciting to learn more about Spinnova’s technology and we can’t wait to launch the first collection made from Circulose using Spinnova’s unique fiber spinning technology.”

The new fiber, called Spinnova fiber from Circulose, was created for yarn and fabric development, with the first prototypes made from a combination of cotton and Circulose. Spinnova and Renewcell are currently exploring options to begin scaling their textile-to-textile production process, with the aim of creating a consumer collection using Spinnova fibers made from Circulose. They expect the first collection to hit the global market at the end of 2024.

“The fashion and textile industries need new solutions and collaboration across their entire supply chain, which makes this such an exciting partnership for us,” said Ben Selby, deputy CEO of Spinnova. “Our goal is to accelerate the fashion industry’s transition to a circular economy and explore opportunities to scale textile-to-textile fiber production. Developing our partnership with the skilled Renewcell team has been a great pleasure and the initial tests combining Renewcell’s material and Spinnova’s technology have been very promising.”

For Tiffany Hua, a research analyst at Boston-based materials innovation research and consulting firm Lux Research, the fact that employees are “forming partnerships and pooling resources really shows the progress and maturity that both have achieved” after several Worked in the same innovation area for years.

Renewcell, she said, appears to be nearing the halfway point in ramping up its Renewcell 1 plant and has outlined its expansion plans. It has attracted “takers” of Circulose such as Inditex’s popular Zara and previously struck a Lenzing partnership similar to the new Spinnova agreement, Hua added.

Spinnova, on the other hand, is working with Suzano to commercialize its textile fibers made from FSC-certified wood and views the processing of cellulose and cotton waste as a “medium-term venture,” Hua emphasized. The partnership, she continued, means Spinnova “takes a step forward in advancing its fiber processing technology.”

“Aside from the great progress made by the two companies independently, the partnership between Renewcell and Spinnova is quite synergistic,” Hua said. “Renewcell’s high cellulose, low contamination Circulose pulp is ideal for Spinnova’s microfibrillated fiber spinning process. The partnership is particularly beneficial for Spinnova as it frees it from the burden of textile waste disposal. As Renewcell looks to double its production capacity in the coming years, we expect this partnership to deepen.”