Long-term purchase agreement will introduce recycled polyester made from textile waste into Primark clothing from 2029
Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycling company, has announced a long-term partnership with international fashion retailer Primark to introduce recycled polyester made from textile waste into Primark clothing.
The agreement is aimed at bringing textile-to-textile recycled material to Primark customers at scale and at an affordable price from 2029. It forms part of Primark’s efforts to increase the use of circular materials and reduce reliance on virgin polyester in its clothing.
The agreement will also represent Primark’s first multi-year offtake agreement with a textile-to-textile recycler.
Partnership to Support Commercial-Scale Recycling
The recycled polyester supplied under the agreement will be produced at Circ’s planned commercial facility, which is intended to support the company’s first industrial-scale textile-to-textile recycling facility.
Circ said the commercial facility will source textile feedstock globally, including both post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste. The sourcing network will include multiple locations, including the valorisation of European textile waste.
The partnership comes as fashion companies and recycling technology developers continue to explore ways to increase the availability and use of recycled fibres within textile supply chains.
Primark’s Circularity Initiatives
Through its Primark Cares strategy, Primark has outlined efforts focused on keeping clothing and materials in use for longer and reducing waste.
The retailer’s approach includes incorporating circular design principles into product development through its Circular Product Standard, alongside initiatives intended to help customers extend the life of clothing through reuse and repair.
Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ, said:
“This partnership with Primark represents exactly the kind of long-term commercial commitment needed to move textile-to-textile recycling from innovation to industry standard. When a global fashion retailer commits to integrating recycled materials into future collections, it sends a powerful signal across the industry: the demand is here, the materials are ready, and the opportunity to scale circular material supply chains is real.”
Lynne Walker, Director of Primark Cares, said:
“We launched Primark Cares with a focus on improving the quality and longevity of our clothing, and in the process show that clothes made to last longer don’t have to come at a higher price. Since then, we’ve delivered tangible progress, including increasing the use of recycled fibres, introducing products designed to be recycled and enhancing traceability across our supply chain. This partnership is an important milestone in accelerating our ambitions to further embed circularity in our business and help scale innovative textile-to-textile recycling solutions that could play a transformational role in the future of fashion.”
Circ Technology Targets Blended Textile Waste
Circ’s patented technology is designed to recycle polycotton blended textiles, which are widely used in the fashion industry and have historically presented challenges for recycling.
The technology separates and recovers both polyester and cellulose from blended textile waste. The recovered materials can then be processed into materials intended for reintroduction into fashion supply chains.
The approach addresses one of the key challenges in textile recycling: recovering usable fibres from blended fabrics that combine different material types.
Scaling Circular Materials in Fashion
The long-term agreement between Circ and Primark is expected to connect textile recycling technology with future apparel production through a multi-year commercial commitment.
With recycled polyester from textile waste planned for use in Primark clothing from 2029, the partnership represents another development in efforts to establish textile-to-textile recycling as part of commercial fashion supply chains.
The agreement also highlights the role of long-term purchasing commitments in supporting the development of recycling capacity and increasing the availability of recycled textile materials.