Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1334452
8 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2021 textileinsight.com "We prefer textiles with a high cellulose content, and we work with the waste trading industry and sorters for second hand goods." JENNY FREDRICSDOTTER Circular business manager, Renewcell "The fibers can be recycled again and the quality improves in refinement in the second recycling." JUHA SALMELA CTO, co-founder, Spinnova Planet Positive Recycling Developments in the European Market. cceleration in commer- cializing products and bringing circular solutions to scale are adding momentum to textile recycling as 2021 looks to be a breakout year for this young industry. Renewcell's IPO and Spinnova's partner- ship expansion are prime examples of this market's growth and new level of maturity. Renewcell provides an alternative raw material for textile production. The company's Circulose is a branded dissolving pulp product manufactured from 100 percent textiles. The IPO in November 2020 signaled a significant step forward for the three- year old Swedish firm, attracting strong interest both from institutional investors in Sweden and internationally as well as the general public in Sweden. The Offering was oversubscribed multiple times, according to Renewcell reports. In addition, Renewcell has entered a multi- year partnership with H&M, building on the introduction of Circulose in H&M's Spring/Summer 2020 Conscious Exclusive Collection. Under the agreement, Renewcell will supply H&M Group with virgin quality Circulose at its new recycling plant in Sundsvall, Sweden, ramping up the annual volume over a period of five years. The material will be used by H&M Group to replace virgin fibers from wood or cotton in garments. (Circulose debuted last summer in Levi's WellThread 502 jeans.) Renewcell sources post consumer waste cotton and man-made viscose unsold goods to create raw material. "We prefer textiles with a high cellulose content, and we work with the waste trading industry and sorters for second hand goods," explained Jenny Fredricsdotter, Renewcell, circular business manager, who clarified that the company makes pulp sheets, not fibers. The company's new recycling plant has a 60,000 metric ton capacity that is considerably bigger than its current facility. "Our new pilot line is a step to commercialize," said Fredricsdotter, during an online discussion about innovations in the recycling sector. Spinnova, CTO and co-founder Juha Salmela also participated in the discussion. A shirt he was wearing was made from the company's recycled content that was produced in collaboration with Halley Stevensons, the British textile firm specializing in waxed cotton and weatherproofed fabrics. The Scandinavian style work shirt is Spinnova's first apparel quality of dyed and finished fabric. "The fibers used have the mechanical properties of cotton and a handful between cotton and linen. The fibers can be recycled again and the quality improves in refinement in the second recycling," explained Salmela. (Spinnova's inaugural offering was a backpack made in partnership with outdoor brand Bergans.) The Spinnova process starts with virgin wood pulp, or straw from wheat or barley. No harmful chemicals are used in the production. Water is added to the "papermaking" pulp and then modified and extruded through Spinnova technology. Currently the Spinnova product is identified as a paper-fiber, although in the natural fiber category. l A IN THE MARKET | ECO UPDATE Waste as a Valuable Resource This shirt features Spinnova technology so the garment is biodegradable and recyclable.