Re:newcell

Overview

From Re:newcell

Re:newcell turns used cotton and viscose into new biodegradable pulp that can be turned into textile fiber, be fed into the textile production cycle, and meet industry specifications.

Re:newcell receives used garments with high cellulosic content (cotton and viscose). These textiles are shredded, de-buttoned, de-zipped, de-colored and turned into slurry. Contaminants and other non-cellulosic content are separated from the slurry. The slurry is dried to produce a pure, natural re:newcell pulp, which is packaged into bales and fed into the textile production cycle. It’s an efficient process that reuses chemicals, and it’s up and running in their first plant in Kristinehamn, Sweden. The Kristinehamn plant produces 7,000 tons of biodegradable re:newcell pulp per year.

Tests have compared textile fibers made from re:newcell pulp with textile fibers made from dissolving pulp made from wood. Re:newcell fibers have higher quality in a number of areas: tensile strength in both wet and dry condition, dyestuff absorption and in withstanding high abrasion.

 

Suggested Reading

“What to Watch: Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Drive Textile Innovations” By Katya Foreman and Alessandra Turra for WWD