In what is an industry first, Swedish fashion recycling innovator Renewcell has reached an agreement with the leading Chinese viscose manufacturer Tangshan Sanyou to supply 175 000 tonnes of Circulose® dissolving pulp recycled 100% from discarded textiles. The five year deal, facilitated by Ekman, a leading global trading house for cellulose products, is a significant milestone in the scaling of circular and biodegradable materials for the fashion industry.
– “We have had this goal in mind for a long time, and it feels unreal that we are there. I am truly impressed by the industry leadership shown by Tangshan Sanyou and immensely proud of the Renewcell team for getting us to this point. Together, Renewcell, Tangshan Sanyou and Ekman are firmly committed to delivering on our promise to make fashion sustainable at scale” comments Patrik Lundström, CEO of Renewcell.
Renewcell and Tangshan Sanyou have worked together closely since 2019 to develop ground-breaking high quality viscose staple fibers made from Circulose® dissolving pulp recycled from post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste. These efforts resulted in fibers that have been launched in retail by global fashion brands such as H&M and Levi’s in 2020, proving the commercial potential of circular material to replace virgin fibers in a wide range of fashion applications.
– “The global fashion industry is striding forward on the road to sustainability. Leading the charge, we have developed and used recycled pulp from Renewcell, cooperated and successfully scaled up an innovative viscose product called Circulose® fiber. As one of the world’s well-established viscose manufacturers, Sanyou strictly adheres to the concept of green development and takes active actions to jointly protect the global ecological environment” confirms Zheng Baishan, Chairman of Tangshan Sanyou Group Xingda Chemical Co. Ltd.
– 全球时尚业正在可持续之路上阔步前进，作为引领者，我们与 Renewcell 开发、利用回收浆，合作并成功量产了一
款创新型粘胶产品-Circulose 纤维。作为全球知名的粘胶生产商之一，三友始终坚持绿色发展理念，做出积极的行动，共同保护全球生态环境。
The deal between Renewcell and Tangshan Sanyou was facilitated with the help of Ekman, a leading global trading house for cellulose products. Renewcell and Ekman have worked in close partnership to bring Circulose® to market.
– “Circulose®, the 100% recycled dissolving cellulose is an innovative product with great demand from the global textile industry. We are proud to be a partner in introducing and marketing this ground breaking new sustainable product and working together with our long term partners Sanyou and Renewcell” affirms Benny Johansson, Senior VP, Pulp Sales Ekman AG
Renewcell will deliver its recycled Circulose® dissolving pulp from its future plant in Sundsvall in Sweden. The agreement with Tangshan Sanyou is a key element to securing the financing for the new plant which is set to start production in the first half of 2022. Once operational, the new plant will be capable of recycling the equivalent of 300 million t-shirts, helping to close the loop on fashion and reducing fashion’s reliance on virgin materials like cotton and oil.
The announcement is celebrated by Canopy, a Canadian NGO with the mission to protect ancient and endangered forests globally. Through their CanopyStyle campaign, CanopyStyle Audits, and annual Hot Button Ranking, Canopy supports the adoption and scaling of Next Generation fibers throughout the fashion value chain.
– ”This exciting agreement will help bring vital Next Generation Solutions to life and save forests in the process,” asserted Nicole Rycroft, Canopy Executive Director. “Today’s announcement will ensure commercial volumes of Next Generation viscose will be available to a growing market ready for change. Hundreds of fashion brands want to stop the degradation of forests from textile production and we expect long line-ups for this product.”
About Tangshan Sanyou
Tangshan Sanyou is a manufacturer of viscose staple fiber, modal and bamboo fiber. It is a national R&D base for new cellulose fiber products. Products are sold in over 40 countries and regions in Asia, Africa, Europe, the United States and Australia. The annual export volume accounts for more than 40% of China’s total viscose exports. Tangshan Sanyou always adheres to the concept of green development, and sustainable development is always an integral part of our daily production. It has successively passed FSC chain of custody, OEKO – 100 Certification of European Ecological Textile etc. to realize the whole chain and process ecological custody from raw materials to products. Meanwhile as the initiator, Sanyou has joined the “Collaboration for sustainable development of viscose” to promote green and sustainable development together with its members.
唐山三友是粘胶短纤维、莫代尔纤维、竹代尔纤维生产商，国家纤维素纤维新产品研发基地，产品畅销亚、非、欧、美、澳 40 多个国家和地区，年出口量占国内出口总量的 40%以上。唐山三友始终坚持绿色发展理念，可持续发展永远是我们日常生产的组成部分。先后通过 FSC 森林产销监管链、欧洲生态纺织品等绿色认证，实现从原料到产品的全链条、全过程生态监管，同时作为发起者，三友已经加入“再生纤维素纤维行业绿色发展联盟”与其他会员一起推动绿色可持续发展
About Ekman
Ekman is a global sales and marketing organization strategically aligning buyers and sellers of forest products around the world. We have more than 300 employees in 40 offices worldwide and do business in more than 100 countries. With global presence and local excellence, we add value throughout the business process by offering strong financial solutions and efficient logistic, all with the aim of improving sustainability in the supply chain of forest products.
In 2020 Ekman was appointed the exclusive sales and marketing partner of Renewcell Circulose® dissolving cellulose.
About Canopy
Canopy is an international not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting our forests, species and climate. Canopy collaborates with more than 750 companies to develop innovative solutions, to make their fibre supply chains more sustainable, and to help protect our world’s remaining Ancient and Endangered Forests. Canopy’s partners include H&M, Sprint, Target, Amazon, Penguin Random House, Zara, TC Transcontinental, and Scholastic. Canopy’s work relies on the support of individual donors who share our passion for the planet.
www.canopyplanet.org