Spinnova, a sustainable textile company, and Renewcell, a textile recycling company, have launched a partnership to create a fiber made from textile waste, according to a news release shared with Fashion Dive.
The waste-based fiber can be spun into new fiber “without harmful chemicals,” according to the release. The first consumer products to come out of the partnership are expected to enter the market by the end of 2024.
Renewcell produces its current product, called Circulose, from textile waste such as cotton and viscose, which it turns into biodegradable pulp that can be used to create new fiber. Spinnova’s tech allows Circulose pulp to be spun into fiber, and according to the Spinnova website, it’s able to make fibers this way without waste, without using harmful chemicals, and with less water use.
“The fashion and textile industry needs new solutions and collaboration across its supply chain, which makes this such an exciting partnership for us,” Ben Selby, deputy CEO of Spinnova, said in the release. “Our goal is to accelerate the fashion industry’s transition to a circular economy and explore options to scale textile-to-textile fibre production. Developing our partnership with the skilled Renewcell team has been a great pleasure and the first tests combining Renewcell’s material and Spinnova’s technology have been very promising.”
Through the trial process, the companies have created cotton and Spinnova Circulose blended prototype fibers that can be used in yarn and fabric development.
The companies hope to establish partnerships to produce the material at scale.
"The textile industry is in the middle of a massive change, when moving from a linear business model to a circular economy,” Patrik Lundström, CEO at Renewcell, said in the release. “Change requires new partnerships and brave, innovative players. Learning more about Spinnova’s technology has been really exciting and we can't wait to launch the first collection made from [Circulose] using Spinnova’s unique fibre spinning technology.”
Earlier this year, Sweden-based Renewcell launched a supplier network for its Circulose material which included 47 yarn and textile producers located in 12 countries, including the Albini Group, Cone Denim, Linz Textiles and Cyclo Recycled Fibers.
Renewcell’s material has also been used in Levi’s first circular jeans. It has also done work with H&M and PVH Corp.-owned brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, according to Circulose’s website.
Meanwhile, Finnish-based Spinnova has previously worked with fashion brands including Marimekko and Adidas.
