Circ's chemical technology recycles poly-cotton blended fibres while preserving fibre integrity

Of the current textile recyclers in operation today, most can only recover and recycle one material. However much of the clothing created today is compiled from blended fibre, with the polyester-cotton the most commonly produced by the fashion industry. Until recently, any recycling process that preserved the polyester polymers would degrade the cotton fibers, and vice versa. The inability of textile recyclers to salvage both types of fibre is a barrier to circularity for the textile industry, leading to a loss of valuable material resources and increasing volumes of textile waste.

Circ’s chemical recycling process involves a combination of water, heat, pressure, and chemicals, which separates mixed polymer streams, specifically any blend of polyester and cotton. This process results in a recovery of 90% of the original materials with the integrity of the fibers in tact. Furthermore, breaking down polyester to its monomers results in a high-quality cotton cellulose, which can serve as a replacement for tree pulp which makes cellulosic fibres like lyocell, rayon/viscose, and modal. 

So far Circ have recycled 12 tons of apparel waste, but Circa has the capacity to do two tons per day once production increases. While they’re focused primarily on polyester and cotton blends right now, Circ are planning to include more materials in their recycling roster in the future, and can handle up to 5% of spandex in their recycling processes.