Circ, a textile technology company that recycles polycotton waste back into new fibers, has launched a first-of-its-kind collection with global label Zara.
SEE ALSO: A look at Gucci’s first fragrance from recycled carbon emissions
A portfolio company of Hong Kong’s The Mills Fabrica, Circ’s recycling technology is the first platform to successfully separate polycotton blended textile waste and recover both cellulosic and synthetic fibers, enabling the recycled raw materials to create new garments.
The Mills Fabrica, a heritage, retail, and innovation centre housing incubation spaces for fashion and agrifood tech start-ups, invested in Circ in 2021. Its portfolio of techstyle companies also includes Renewcell, Colorifix, Geltor, and Michroma, among others.
Inditex, Zara’s parent company, also invested in Circ last year with the aim of accelerating industrial-scale solutions toward circularity in fashion.
“Circ’s technology opens the door to effectively separate and recycle any blend of polyester and cotton, which is one of the most common textile blends in clothing,” said Javier Losada, Inditex chief sustainability officer.
The partnership with Zara reveals a new women’s capsule collection made with recycled textiles derived from polycotton textile waste.
Now sold across 11 markets around the world, the line features lyocell garments made with 50 percent recycled polycotton textile waste and polyester garments with 43 percent recycled polycotton textile waste, marking “the first time that clothing manufactured from polycotton textile waste is in the hands of consumers,” according to Circ’s chief executive officer, Peter Majeranowski.
“We believe our partnership with Zara signals a seismic shift in how the fashion industry and consumers view what is possible in sustainability,” said Majeranowski. “Circ and Zara want to create a new future in which the garments hanging in our closets are made from recycled materials that can then be recycled over and over again.”
SEE ALSO: Meet the company creating a green fix for luxury brands
“We’re proud to see technology-empowered solutions making such a positive impact in the textile and apparel industry, contributing to a more sustainable future,” said Cintia Nunes, general manager and head of Asia at The Mills Fabrica.