Fashion’s sustainability shift is accelerating with Unifi’s Integr8 yarn and Circ’s Fiber Club, two initiatives reshaping the cost and scale of recycled textiles that stretch like Spandex.
With global fiber production hitting a record 124 million tonnes in 2023, the environmental impact of textiles has never been more apparent. By 2030, that figure is projected to reach 160 million tonnes, with virgin fossil-based synthetic fibers dominating the sector at 57 percent of total production. While brands tout sustainability initiatives, the share of recycled fibers in the market has actually declined, signaling an urgent need for innovative solutions to scale circular materials.
In a sector responsible for approximately ten percent of global carbon emissions, surpassing aviation and maritime shipping combined, the race is on to develop textiles that reduce environmental harm while maintaining the performance consumers expect. Two companies leading the charge are Unifi, the makers of Repreve, and Circ, a textile-to-textile recycling pioneer. Both are introducing groundbreaking initiatives aimed at scaling sustainable fibers and shifting fashion’s material landscape.
Unifi’s Integr8: Spandex-free stretch with circular potential
Unifi, one of the world’s top innovators in recycled and synthetic yarns, recently launched Integr8, a spandex-free stretch yarn crafted with Repreve recycled polyester. Designed for apparel, footwear, and home furnishings, Integr8 combines softness with performance-driven functionality, including moisture management, evaporative cooling, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) shielding, and easy-care, low-wrinkle properties.
The yarn is a significant breakthrough for brands looking to phase out spandex, which is notoriously difficult to recycle and often blended with other fibers in ways that hinder textile-to-textile recycling. “Integr8 represents a breakthrough, particularly for apparel and footwear brands that have long sought the stretch of spandex without the associated environmental burden. With one of the industry’s most comprehensive suites of performance-engineered technologies, Unifi is ideally positioned to meet the growing demand for sustainable, functional yarn,” Eddie Ingle, Chief Executive Officer of Unifi, said in a statement.
Integr8 is embedded with FiberPrint technology, which ensures full traceability, and it carries certifications from U-Trust, Oeko-Tex, Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) for recycled content. With availability at scale, the yarn has the potential to replace non-recyclable stretch fibers across multiple categories, from activewear to upholstery.
Circ’s Fiber Club: a collective approach to scaling recycled materials
While Unifi is tackling fiber innovation from a material-science perspective, Circ is focusing on industry collaboration to accelerate the adoption of recycled textiles. Its newly launched Fiber Club is a first-of-its-kind collective bringing together fashion brands, textile mills, and fiber manufacturers to streamline the transition to circular materials. Founding members include Bestseller, Eileen Fisher, Everlane, and Zalando, along with suppliers such as India-based Arvind and Birla Cellulose and China-based Foshan Chicley.
The Fiber Club operates on a four-phase roadmap designed to address one of the biggest challenges to scaling recycled textiles: minimum order quantities. Brands working alone often face prohibitive costs due to high order requirements from suppliers, but by aggregating demand, the Fiber Club creates bulk pricing structures that lower costs and make recycled fibers more financially viable.
“We’re going to do this in a collaborative way. So it will essentially cut those two kinds of barriers to advancing scaling,” said Circ Vice President of Commercial Strategy Kathleen Rademan.
Peter Majeranowski, Chief Executive Officer of Circ, emphasized the importance of connecting brands with the supply chain. “Innovation without the supply chain can’t happen — that’s really where the rubber meets the road,” he explained. By working directly with suppliers, the Fiber Club ensures that Circ’s recycled fibers integrate seamlessly into manufacturing processes, making them plug-and-play solutions rather than requiring costly production changes.
The first product in the Fiber Club’s lineup is Circ’s Lyocell fiber, which is produced from poly-cotton textile waste pulp. This waste stream is sent to Birla, which transforms it into fiber before it is sent to Arvind and Foshan Chicley for textile production. The finished fabric then moves to garment manufacturers, ultimately ending up in collections from partner brands.
Beyond simply lowering costs, the Fiber Club is helping brands secure long-term offtake agreements — an essential step in building confidence among suppliers and investors. “There’s a lot of outside capital that wants to invest their dollars or euros into sustainable fashion solutions. They just want to make sure that there is a long-term commercial demand for that, and if the supply chain is behind it. So this helps unlock that as well,” Majeranowski noted.
The road ahead for sustainable textiles
While the Fiber Club offers an immediate solution to the pricing problem of recycled textiles, it also serves a broader purpose: shifting the overall cost structure of sustainable fashion. The collective purchasing model not only reduces expenses for participating brands but also creates a blueprint for other suppliers and retailers to follow.
“On a psychological basis, it feels better in an industry that’s so not concentrated to be doing something together with your peers. And so there’s an element to that as well, which I think is beneficial,” said Majeranowski.
The initiative’s collaborative approach is designed to be replicable, with Circ envisioning the model as a template that can be adopted by additional brands, recyclers, and suppliers. “Let’s scale some of the other much-needed green fibers and materials in this world, because they all have the same problem,” added Rademan.
The momentum behind fiber innovation and collaborative scaling efforts is set against the backdrop of increasing regulatory pressure. The European Union is pushing for stricter circularity requirements through its Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, while states like California are considering legislation to hold brands accountable for textile waste.
These regulatory moves are likely to drive demand for solutions like Integr8 and the Fiber Club’s recycled materials, as brands seek to future-proof their supply chains. And with the global market for sustainable fabrics projected to reach $27.8 billion by 2029, the demand for next-gen materials is set to skyrocket.
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