Circ’s ready to fashion our wardrobes

Textiles recyclers have been through the wringer lately. Innovators like US player Circ, however, are taking that as a cue to be more driven. Company ceo Peter Majeranowski shares his ambitious fibre-to-fibre recycling journey.

Circ’s patented process delivers the recovery and reuse of both cotton and polyester from polycotton blended textile waste. The innovative solution combines hydrothermal processing technology, water, heat, chemistry and pressure to separate the polyester from the cotton fibres, preserving their integrity for reuse.

The result: materials that can replace virgin fibres in fashion manufacturing. Circ’s recycled materials reduce demand for virgin materials, helping to reduce carbon emissions, water usage and textile waste. Circ has patents on its core recycling technology and downstream refinement processes, which uses both custom and standard manufacturing equipment.

‘We’re recycling at a demo scale at a rate of approximately 20 000 garments per day,’ says ceo Peter Majeranowski. ‘This allows us to complete our detailed engineering work for larger scales while also qualifying supply chain and releasing commercial products with brands.  

Serendipitous shift

Circ, based in Danville, Virginia, was founded by Majeranowski and partners in 2011 as Tyton Biosciences to produce biofuels from tobacco plants. When funding for biofuels waned, they experimented with a hydrothermal pressure process developed to break down tobacco stalks into pulp for paper.

Then a Swedish commodities trader suggested they use the process to recover cellulose from cotton-rich textiles. It worked, and the team realised they could maintain the integrity of both the cellulose and polyester molecules in blended materials, a huge step for historically difficult-to-recycle blends.

‘Since then, our business has been scaling the technology and bringing textile-to-textile recycled materials into the market,’ Majeranowski says. ‘As this journey was relatively unplanned, we can’t really say that there were expectations to meet. But it’s been a worthwhile experience.’

Dual recovery

The entrepreneur underlines how his business recaptures both the cellulosic and synthetic portions for use in new materials, closing the loop for textiles. ‘Circ is the onlycompany that has successfully recycled polycotton blended textiles and released products in the consumer market with both materials.

With the backing of world-class investors, partnerships with some of the world’s most recognisable brands, we are building a truly circular economy for the fashion industry.’

Majeranowski’s team is proud to be working with some of the world’s leading industrial engineering solution providers, including Andritz, GEA and Worley, to further refine and scale its technology. The recycler plans to expand into the footwear market.

Milestones

In what Majeranowski sees a ‘momentous’ 2024, Circ was judged one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Fashion & Apparel. Another milestone has been the launch of Circ Ready, a community of global supply-chain partners who have demonstrated their ability to make high-quality, sustainable products using Circ materials.

It has also announced strategic partnerships with Birla, Far Eastern Group, Andritz and Selenis to establish what it says will be the first commercial-scale recycled textiles factory.

‘We also released a second collection in collaboration with [fashion major] Zara, which featured four pieces using Circ Lyocell,’ Majeranowski adds. This collaboration started with an investment in 2022 from Zara’s parent company, Inditex. Circ also showcased at New York Fashion Week in Christian Sirano’s Spring/Summer 2025 Collection.

‘It was incredible to see our technology embraced on one of the world’s most prestigious runways. The use of our recycled fabric in such a high-profile setting as NYFW demonstrates circularity’s place in luxury design and proves that sustainability and beauty can go hand-in-hand.’ 

The recycler has partnered with Wilmok, an Italian tie company, to craft recycled fibre into a tie worn by the UK’s Prince William at the 2024 Earthshot Prize event in South Africa last November.

In addition to consumer-facing collections, Circ is working with clothing chain Target on a pilot to convert end-of-season, overstock and end-of-life textiles into t-shirts. Another initiative is Fiber Club, launched by Circ in partnership with consultancy Fashion for Good and retailer Canopy. It helps brands, regardless of size, to adopt recycled and next-generation materials, starting with Circ’s staple lyocell fibre.

‘Wobbly’ road

Majeranowski points out that fashion is one of the largest industries in the world. ‘It helped launch the industrial revolution and now, it has the opportunity to lead a new revolution toward sustainability.’

He recognises that times are tough for difficult for textiles recyclers and fibre-to-fibre recycling is an even more ambitious area. ‘We are just at the beginning and, like anything new, there will be challenges and wobbles. The key is to learn from mistakes and to keep pushing. It will take a truly collaborative approach among innovators, supply chain partners and brands to accelerate this change.’

Majeranowski notes that regulators are putting more pressure on brands to find solutions and bring them to scale. ‘In a highly dispersed and competitive environment like fashion, regulation helps create a level playing field so brands can move together. We’re certainly starting to see a positive impact from legislation in California and across Europe.’

Next chapter

He believes the fashion industry will see a major shift as early adopters secure long-term supplies of next-generation recycled materials.

‘To finance large-scale recycling facilities, innovators will increasingly rely on offtake agreements, locking in customers ahead of production. This means brands that delay action will face significant wait times, often five years or more, before they can access these materials, as wait for existing agreements to expire or for additional capacity to come online.

‘We expect a growing gap between supply and demand. The first wave of commercial-scale recycling facilities will be launching just as regulations mandating recycled content take effect. Brands that have already committed to supporting innovators through commercial purchase agreements will be well-positioned, while those that haven’t will struggle to secure the materials they need.’

Majeranowski concludes: ‘Sustainability isn’t just a trend—it’s the inevitable next step. Our vision is clear: success means walking into any store and knowing that every garment contains recycled content.’