Last month, textile recycling pioneer Renewcell announced the launch of the CIRCULOSE® Supplier Network. And now, 132-year-old denim mill Cone Denim becomes the first denim mill in North America to join CIRCULOSE® Supplier Network.

What You Need to Know About CIRCULOSE®

With fast fashion trends, it is undeniable that the textile industry produces more waste. That also equates to increased use of water, chemicals, and oils, making wastewater treatment more difficult.

Renewcell’s CIRCULOSE® aims to address this problem through circular fashion. This means making use of recycled raw materials in the production process instead of new ones.

This new material resembles pulp that dissolves and can later on be used to make viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other types of regenerated fibers. These fibers, also known as cellulosic fibers or rayon, are then used to produce high-quality textile products.

How is CIRCULOSE® made?

Made from 100% discarded textile materials, CIRCULOSE® production starts with the collection of old clothing articles. Buttons, zippers, and other accessories are removed. And the old clothings are shredded and turned into a slurry. Polyester and other contaminants are then removed.The slurry is allowed to dry in sheets of the now usable raw material CIRCULOSE®.

The CIRCULOSE® Supplier Network

The CIRCULOSE® Supplier Network or CSN is a group of textile producers that have early access to large volumes of the material. Through this network, the supply chain CIRCULOSE® is seen to stabilize and, making its production more efficient.

Interested producers can sign up as a partner by clicking here.

Cone Denim and Its Move to Sustainable Fashion

Over the last five years, Cone Denim has put in at least $13M into sustainable solutions integrated into their manufacturing processes. These solutions include steps toward water and energy conservation, greenhouse gas reduction, waste reduction, and other developments supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Since last year, the company has participated as a trial partner for the nonprofit, Accelerating Circularity. This allowed Cone Denim to integrate recycling into their products at scale.