Accelerating Circularity Inc. announced plans for U.S. trials of commercial-scale textile-to-textile systems, in its latest report, “Putting Textiles to Good Use.” 

The rationale and aims for the trials are presented succinctly in the report, which includes content minimums of 40% recycled blends and 20% post-consumer inputs for all trials. In response to stakeholder requests, the report also outlines each potential participant's role, benefits, and responsibilities.

Specific experiments for post-industrial and post-consumer feedstocks, mechanical and chemical recycling methods, recycled cotton, polyester, and man-made cellulosic fibers, and a variety of final product categories are proposed by the group.

These will serve as a jumping-off point for Trial Partner collaboration within the project, which will result in various circular textile goods being mass-produced at a large scale. Brand and retail partners can opt-in at various stages of the process to optimize the circular fibers’ ability to be integrated into current commercial supply chains. Several big companies and supply chain partners have already signed on to the project, including members of Accelerating Circularity's US Steering Committee.

U.S. Project Manager Janel Twogood said that architect and engineer Buckminster Fuller gave us this piece of advice, to change anything, design a new model that renders the current model obsolete. Historic pledges are being embraced by the fashion and textile industries. Accelerating Circularity allows a whole supply chain system to collaborate on nothing less than a new paradigm, one that is economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable. The moment has come to use a systems approach to assess what we can accomplish right now and what needs to be created in order to satisfy our obligations.