Circa Group AS and Textile Change are working together to optimise textile recycling. Circa's bio-based solvent CyreneTM has been successfully tested by Textile Change in the separation and decolourisation of waste textiles into cellulose and polyester. With Cyrene™?, Textile Change is expecting to achieve a safe, low carbon, less energy intense process, while ensuring a high yield that will address increasing market demand for recycled textiles.

The Textile Change pilot plant is currently being commissioned in Denmark with funding from MUDP by the Danish Ministry of Environment. This development is a major milestone for scaling their sustainable technology to yield several thousand tonnes per annum. It will demonstrate that the company has found a commercially competitive way to recycle fibre raw materials from waste textile inputs, without irreparably damaging them, using the least amount of energy, and safer, renewable chemicals in the process.

Circa is changing chemistry for good and has developed a safer and sustainable solvent that is an alternative to toxic, petrochemical solvents such as DMAc or DMI, which is commonly used for this application. CyreneTM is made from renewable, non-food biomass and its carbon footprint is up to 80% lower than traditional solvents.