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One of the biggest challenges material innovation startups face is moving their technology from pilot phase to commercial reality. It’s a chicken and egg situation — startups need suppliers to produce their materials at scale for brands to be able to use them, but brands are reluctant to commit to using them before they are available at scale.
US textile recycling startup Circ is launching a supplier partnership that could help it break through the impasse. The company has signed a deal with Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla Group’s pulp and fibre production arm, Birla Cellulose, which will purchase up to 5,000 metric tonnes of pulp per year over a five year period from Circ’s first-ever commercial-scale facility. Birla Cellulose will convert Circ’s pulp into lyocell staple fibre, which brands can use to create clothes. (Some brands, including Zara, have already begun producing garments with Circ, but so far, recycled fibres represent a drop in the ocean.)
