Circulose and Spinnova revive a partnership aimed at turning discarded cotton clothing into new textile fibers, offering a potential, chemical-free pathway for truly circular fashion.
Fashion’s circular economy has long promised a future where worn-out clothing becomes the raw material for new garments. That idea is edging closer to reality again as Swedish textile recycler Circulose renews its collaboration with Finnish fiber innovator Spinnova. The two companies are revisiting a partnership first explored several years ago, this time with the goal of scaling a fiber made from discarded cotton clothing into something brands can realistically use in collections.
At its core, the collaboration is about turning old garments into new fiber without the heavy chemical processing typically used in textile recycling. Circulose produces a cellulose-rich pulp from worn cotton clothing, while Spinnova has developed a mechanical spinning method that transforms that pulp into a fiber suitable for yarn and fabric. Unlike conventional man-made cellulosic fibers such as viscose or lyocell, which rely on chemical dissolution to regenerate pulp into fiber, Spinnova’s approach reshapes the material mechanically. The companies say the system can run on one hundred percent Circulose pulp, meaning the resulting fiber can be made entirely from recycled textiles rather than virgin wood inputs.
The implications are straightforward: clothing that reaches the end of its life could eventually return to the market as new fabric, reducing the industry’s dependence on fresh raw materials. Cotton production alone accounts for significant water use and land demand globally, and textile waste has become a mounting problem. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second worldwide.
Circulose’s pulp, made from both pre- and post-consumer cotton waste, has already been used in regenerated fibers like viscose. Pairing it with Spinnova’s system offers another pathway for those materials to return to circulation, this time through a process designed to minimize chemicals and reduce environmental impact.
“We strongly believe that innovation will enable man-made cellulosic fibers to play a bigger role in textiles than it does today,” Circulose chief executive Jonatan Janmark said in a statement. “Spinnova is a great example of this; it is not only a sustainably produced fiber but also offers attractive performance properties.”
The partnership also arrives after a difficult period for both companies. Circulose, previously known as Renewcell, filed for bankruptcy in early 2024 after struggling to secure enough purchasing commitments from fashion brands, despite enthusiasm around its recycled textile pulp. Under new ownership from Nordic private equity firm Altor Equity Partners, it has since restarted operations at its Ortviken plant in Sweden and secured demand commitments from brands including Bestseller, C&A, Filippa K, John Lewis, and Reformation.
Spinnova chief executive Janne Poranen described the renewed collaboration as a step toward expanding the supply of recycled raw materials for textile manufacturing. “As demand for high-quality textile waste-based materials grows, this partnership allows Spinnova to secure valuable circular raw materials while supporting Circulose in expanding the use of its pulp into new, lower-impact fibers,” he said. “Together, their textile waste-based pulp and our patented process enable a unique circular solution and bring innovative fiber production closer to commercial scale.”
The companies have already demonstrated that the system works in pilot trials, spinning Circulose pulp into yarn and fabric in earlier tests. The next phase will involve integrating the recycled pulp more deeply into Spinnova’s manufacturing ecosystem and expanding the number of partners able to experiment with the material.
If successful, the collaboration would represent one of the clearest examples yet of how textile recycling might function at scale: old cotton clothing processed into pulp, spun back into fiber, and returned to store shelves as new garments rather than waste.
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