#Recycling / Circular Economy

2021-06-10

Two champions of post-consumer textile recycling joining forces

Lenzing, a leading global supplier of wood-based specialty fibers, and Södra, a world-class producer of pulp, signed a cooperation agreement today, June 02, 2021, with the clear objective of making a decisive contribution to addressing the enormous textile waste challenges of the industry and the society.

The cooperation involves the transfer of knowledge between the two companies, which have been proactively driving the circular economy issue for many years, and a joint process development followed by a capacity expansion for pulp from post-consumer waste. The goal is to process 25,000 tons of textile waste per year by 2025.

Together, Lenzing and Södra take a giant leap further towards closing the loop from fiber to fiber in fashion.

The fashion industry is one of the major polluting industries in the world. Millions of tons of textile waste are created each and every year, most of it ends up in landfills. In the spirit of the circular economy transition, both Lenzing and Södra have independently addressed the issue and developed appropriate solution options so far. Both companies are experts in their respective fields with many years of large-scale industrial experience.

Together, they give textile recycling a huge boost by developing technologies further towards a broader, industrial-scale use of post-consumer cellulosic waste. The jointly developed pulp OnceMore® will subsequently also be used as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ branded specialty fibers.

“The cooperation with Södra is a major milestone towards achieving our ambitious climate and sustainability goals. We are proud to be able to go this way with a competent partner. One company alone cannot solve the pressing issue of textile waste. It is proactive partnerships like this that enable us to move forward and bring about real systemic change”, says Christian Skilich, Member of the Managing Board of Lenzing.

“With OnceMore® pulp, Södra has created a globally unique solution to base textile on a recycled source. By joining forces with Lenzing, we now taking the next step on our journey and will bring world-class recycling to the textile value chain. Through a new investment, we will also ten-fold our production capacity of OnceMore® pulp during 2022 and have a higher level of recycled textile content. These are important steps towards our long-term target to create a circular textile industry”, says Lotta Lyrå, President and CEO of Södra.

“In this turn around decade for our planet, making forest-based fabrics from recycled textiles is critical to protect biodiversity, alleviate pressure on forests and address the growing climate crisis. Canopy is excited to see these two major producers join forces to bring vital Next Generation Solutions to the fashion industry. We look forward to seeing greater commercial volumes come to market”, says Nicole Rycroft, Canopy’s Founder and Executive Director.

Two companies with bold visions and large-scale solutions for the reuse of waste

In line with its circular economy vision, “We give waste a new life. Every day”, Lenzing drives the industry towards a fully-fledged circular economy by striving to give waste a new life in all aspects of its core business and by co-developing circular solutions with potential partners in and outside the current value chain. Lenzing has extensive knowledge in developing cutting-edge innovations in recycling such as its REFIBRA™ and Eco Cycle technologies. Besides virgin dissolving wood pulp, these technologies allow the processing of a substantial proportion of recycled materials based on pre-consumer cottons scraps and post-consumer garments.

OnceMore® by Södra is the world’s first process for industrial-scale recycling of textile waste of blended fibers, and it’s the forest who makes that possible. The process combines wood cellulose with textile waste to create a pure, high-quality dissolving pulp which can be used to produce new clothing and other textile products. During 2022, a new investment will ten-fold the production capacity of OnceMore® pulp and reach a higher level of recycled textile content. The goal for 2025 is to process 25,000 tons of textile and offer a OnceMore® pulp based on our wood material and 50 percent recycled textile material.

TENCEL™ Lyocell - HV100 achieves global denim availability in six months; Vol. 2 debuts at Kingpins Amsterdam

When TENCEL™ Lyocell - HV100 debuted at last year’s Kingpins Amsterdam in October, 17 mill partners across five countries presented fabrics featuring the new fiber. Just six months on, participation has more than doubled, evolving into a global network that spans nine countries and four continents, signaling both strong industry momentum and growing demand.

Lenzing unveils three-tier cellulosic fiber portfolio for next generation protective wear

The Lenzing Group, a leading supplier of regenerated cellulosic fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, today introduces Lenzing Solutions for Protective Wear. This integrated three-tier portfolio is anchored by LENZING™ FR fibers at the highest protection tier for inherent flame resistance and brings together complementary solutions including TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, both EU Ecolabel-certified² and derived from certified or controlled wood sources³, within a unified protective wear architecture for the first time. The launch marks the most significant expansion of Lenzing’s protective wear business since the company pioneered inherently flame-resistant cellulosic fiber in 1977, and comes as the global personal protective equipment (PPE) market accelerates toward an estimated USD 130 billion by 2033⁴.

Industrial scale meets verified governance: RE&UP is now B Corp™ certified

RE&UP, the circular-tech transforming global textile waste into high-volume Next-Gen materials, has officially become a Certified B Corporation™. The milestone establishes the industrial recycler among a select group of manufacturing infrastructure providers verified as meeting B Lab Standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Recover™ and Ünteks Group partner to scale recycled cotton in knitwear

Recover(TM), a global producer of low‐impact, high‐quality recycled cotton fiber, announces a new partnership with Ünteks Group, a vertically integrated textile manufacturer based in Turkey. The collaboration focuses on the development of circular knit fabrics and garments, combining Recover’s recycled cotton fiber with Ünteks Group’s integrated capabilities across knitting, dyeing, printing, and garment production.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.