UK retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S), New Look, Sainsbury's Tu Clothing and Oxfam have teamed up with Circle-8 to launch a project called 'The Circuit', which aims to build a textile recycling supply chain in the UK, collecting, sorting and pre-processing discarded clothing before supplying it to fibre-to-fibre recyclers as feedstock. The first phase will launch in January 2027 at Oxfam's Batley site, testing automated sorting, traceability and links with recyclers.

  • The UK generated about . million tonnes of post-consumer textiles in 2024, nearly half of which was assessed as non-reusable.
  • M&S, New Look, Sainsbury's Tu Clothing and Oxfam have all joined 'The Circuit', initiated by Circle-8.
  • The project's first phase is set to launch in January 2027 at Oxfam's Batley site, focusing on validating automated sorting, traceability and recycler connections.

According to WRAP's Textiles Market Situation Report, the UK generated approximately . million tonnes of post-consumer textiles in 2024, with nearly half estimated to be non-reusable, meaning they are too worn to be resold or donated. This volume constitutes the core problem The Circuit seeks to address.

The Circuit is led by development company Circle-8, with participants spanning retail brands and charities. M&S, New Look, Sainsbury's Tu Clothing and Oxfam will work together to build a complete chain from collection and sorting to pre-processing, with the ultimate goal of providing fibre-to-fibre recyclers with a stable, scalable feedstock supply.

The project is not just a plan on paper. In January 2027, the first phase of The Circuit will be implemented at Oxfam's Batley site, where it will focus on testing the real-world performance of automated sorting technology, the traceability of discarded textiles, and the interface mechanisms between recyclers. The results of this phase will determine whether the supply chain can be further expanded.

For the UK market, which has long relied on exporting or landfilling discarded textiles, if The Circuit can get automated sorting and traceability processes working in its first phase, it could provide a replicable commercial model for localised recycling of post-consumer textiles, as well as a pathway for brands to fulfil their textile waste responsibilities.

Source: Marks & Spencer backs UK textile recycling chain built to scale · Originally published on 2026-10-03