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Bloomberg<\/p>\n\n By<\/b>
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Bloomberg\n <\/p>\n
\n Published<\/b>
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May 21, 2025<\/p>\n
\n US clean-tech startup Circ plans to\u00a0build\u00a0what it says is the world\u2019s first industrial-scale plant dedicated to recycling post-consumer and post-industrial polycotton textiles. Fabrics made of a blend of polyester and cotton are a staple of fast fashion but are hard to break down and worsening a\u00a0global waste crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bloomberg<\/p>\n
The 450 million euro ($510 million) plant will be in Saint-Avold, France, and construction is set to begin in 2026. The facility will have the capacity to process 70,000 metric tons of polycotton material per year, according to the company. It is expected to be fully operational by 2028 and create 200 direct and indirect jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Danville, Virginia-based Circ surveyed dozens of sites, including in North America and Asia, before deciding on France,\u00a0amid a US pullback from\u00a0clean-tech funding under the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see within the EU an incredible appetite for green-industry solutions and an ecosystem in the finance world that\u2019s very supportive of industrial solutions like this that can scale,\u201d said Conor Hartman, Circ\u2019s chief operating officer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Circ applied for both national and regional grants and financing assistance through the French government, including its Strategic Project<\/a> Guarantee program through Bpifrance<\/a> Assurance Export. The company has also sought grants from the EU Innovation Fund and Just Transition<\/a> Fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe blend of incentives, regulatory environment, affordable clean energy, manufacturing experience and talent within the workforce were all important in Circ\u2019s decision to locate this facility in France over sites in other regions,\u201d said Hartman.\u00a0<\/p>\n France has ambitious environmental and textile waste laws, including an anti-waste and circular economy law that focuses on reducing waste, managing it more responsibly and building domestic recycling infrastructure. Circ\u2019s plant would also support textile producers in meeting their Extended Producer Responsibility obligations to manage the entire life cycle of their goods.\u00a0<\/p>\n Circ\u2019s chemical process separates the polyester and cotton fibers in blended clothing material into two recycling\u00a0streams, which is very difficult to do mechanically.\u00a0The fibers are then purified so they can be reused.\u00a0<\/p>\n Financing is expected to come from new and existing investors and a blend of equity and debt, and conversations are \u201congoing,\u201d Hartman said. The company is in discussion with the private capital market, as well as banks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Circ has previously received investment from Patagonia<\/a>, Inditex<\/a> (Zara<\/a>\u2019s parent company) and the European fashion platform Zalando<\/a> SE.\u00a0<\/p>\n