HeiQ partners with Renewcell to adopt Circulose for fiber production

Swiss textile innovator, HeiQ has partnered with Swiss recycling firm, Renewcell to manufacture circular HeiQ AeoniQ cellulose filament yarn from textile-to-textile recycled CIRCULOSE® pulp provided by Renewcell. This partnership enables the incorporation of recycled raw materials in the most contemporary, climate-positive, and ecologically friendly yarn production method, enabling the textile industry to achieve 100% circularity.

HeiQ and Renewcell have joined forces to commercialize 100% circular and biobased high-tenacity filament yarns as a viable substitute for fossil-based fibers like nylon and polyester at scale, leveraging their common vision of a circular and bio-based textile industry.

Early results using Circulose® as a feedstock for the production of HeiQ AeoniQ yarn provide an opportunity for collaboration between the partners in their effort to lead the current textile industry transformation, positioning both companies and Europe as a pioneer region incorporating recycled raw materials in the most modern and environmentally friendly yarn production processes that allow true circularity in the textile industry.

Circulose® is a branded dissolving pulp product manufactured by Renewcell from 100% textile waste, such as old jeans and production scraps. The textile industry employs dissolved pulp cellulose to manufacture viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and other forms of regenerated fibers (also known as man-made cellulosic fibers’). Circulose® differs only in that it is created from textile waste rather than wood. Cellulose is the most common organic polymer on the planet. It’s what most plants and trees’ cell walls are made of. Cotton is the finest cellulose found in nature.

Patrik Lundström, CEO of Renewcell, said that their 100% recycled textile pulp, Circulose®, was born of the notion to do something better than dump or burn the millions of tonnes of waste this sector makes every year, while also minimizing the demand for new high impact virgin materials. They’ve successfully demonstrated the applicability of Circulose® as a direct alternative for virgin cotton and wood as a raw material in fashion over the previous two years. To date, the difficulty of using Circulose® as a direct alternative for oil in high tenacity performance textiles has remained. Their collaboration with HeiQ, a firm that completely shares their vision, uses Circulose® as a feedstock for the game-changing HeiQ AeoniQ yarn, positioning them both for a significant breakthrough in the global textile industry’s disruptive path. Circulose® HeiQ AeoniQ Yarn is 100% textile-to-textile recycled, bio-based, biodegradable, and has the physical performance of polyester and nylon – it will thrill any company concerned in climate and environment.

Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of HeiQ, said that this newest strategic partnership with Renewcell demonstrates how circularity-driven textile industry suppliers can collaborate and be the movers and shakers that drive the industry’s change to become more environmentally friendly. They will save tons of textiles from landfills and preserve their trees and forests by using Circulose as one of their HeiQ AeoniQ feedstock sources. They’re looking forward to combining their ingredient branding expertise to jointly persuade brands of the enormous benefits of replacing all synthetic, fossil-fuel-based textiles and how embracing circularity is in their interests as well as the interests of their customers and the planet.

HeiQ AeoniQ yarns are constructed of cellulosic biopolymers, which bind carbon from the environment while producing oxygen during growth. This high-performance yarn has the potential to replace synthetic filament yarns, which account for more than 60% of the global annual textile output of 108 million metric tons. Furthermore, unlike traditional cellulosic goods, HeiQ AeoniQ yarns are produced without the need for arable land, pesticides, or fertilizer.

HeiQ AeoniQ yarns are developed for cradle-to-cradle circularity and may be recycled several times with consistent fiber quality. The production technique is projected to use 99 percent less water than cotton yarns, and HeiQ AeoniQ is meant to function similarly to polyester, nylon, and traditional regenerated cellulose yarns.