Circ and Primark Sign Multi-Year Recycled Polyester Partnership

Circ and Primark have signed Primark's first multi-year offtake agreement with a textile-to-textile recycler, committing the fast-fashion retailer to introducing recycled polyester made from textile waste into its clothing at scale by 2029. The recycled material will be produced at Circ's first industrial-scale commercial facility, which sources textile feedstock globally from post-consumer and post-industrial waste, including the valorisation of European textile waste. The deal is designed to reduce Primark's reliance on virgin polyester and marks a milestone for Circ as it works to establish textile-to-textile recycling as an industry standard rather than a niche innovation.

 

Circ's patented technology targets polycotton blends, one of the fashion industry's most common and historically hardest-to-recycle material streams, by separating and recovering both the polyester and cellulose components so each can be reintroduced into fashion supply chains as high-quality material rather than downcycled or landfilled. The partnership sits within Primark's broader Primark Cares strategy, which the retailer says has already increased its use of recycled fibres, introduced products designed to be recycled, and enhanced supply chain traceability, alongside a Circular Product Standard governing how circularity is embedded into product development.

 

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Neither company disclosed the volume of recycled polyester covered by the agreement or its financial terms, and the stated 2029 timeline for bringing the material to customers at scale and an affordable price leaves several years before the commitment can be assessed against actual delivery. The agreement nonetheless represents a concrete commercial commitment from a major value retailer to a specific recycling technology provider, rather than a general sustainability pledge without a named supply partner.

 

"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," said Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ. "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."

 

Source: Primark