The UK retail and recycling sectors are welcoming a cross-industry collaboration. New Look, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Sainsbury's-owned Tu Clothing, Oxfam, and Circle-8 have jointly announced the launch of a project called The Circuit, aimed at building a UK-based circular textiles value chain that collects, sorts, and pre-processes used textiles that can no longer be worn into feedstock for fibre-to-fibre regeneration.

The launch of this initiative is driven by real urgency. Data shows that approximately 1.4 million tonnes of post-consumer textiles were generated in the UK in 2024, nearly half of which were non-rewearable textiles. Demand for recycled and regenerated materials is growing, but the system for converting post-consumer old clothing into usable feedstock is still in its early stages, and The Circuit is designed to fill this gap.

According to the plan, the first phase of the project will be implemented in January 2027 at Oxfam's site in Batley, Yorkshire, where participating brands and partners will test automated textile sorting while simultaneously developing a traceability reporting framework, identifying circular material opportunities, building connections with regeneration companies, and exploring operational models that can support further scaling. Oxfam will be responsible for separating rewearable from non-rewearable textiles and operating the automated sorting equipment — drawing on its many years of experience in textile recycling and reuse. Circle-8, as the development company behind the project, is responsible for building the infrastructure, partnerships, and commercial framework, including automated textile sorting and pre-processing facilities, to provide feedstock for existing and emerging textile regeneration companies.

From a technical pathway perspective, the collaboration supports both mechanical and chemical recycling, converting post-consumer textiles generated in the UK into raw materials needed by regional and global textile manufacturing; participating retailers will help shape the future circular materials value chain by opening up multiple market pathways and regenerated-material products.

Management from all parties expressed their expectations for the project. New Look CEO Lynda Petherick noted that building a more circular fashion industry requires collaboration across the entire value chain, and The Circuit gives retailers an opportunity to participate in building a system that turns old clothing in circulation into future feedstock. Katharine Beacham, Head of Sustainability and Materials for Fashion, Home and Beauty at M&S, mentioned that through its Plan A for Another Life programme, the company aims to give 5 million items a second life through rewear, repair, resale, and recycling by 2030, and that better recycling solutions are needed once textiles reach the end of their useful life. Ben Smith, Managing Director of Sainsbury's Tu Clothing, called this an opportunity to work with all parties across the value chain to explore a new life for UK post-consumer textiles. Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce, Retail Director at Oxfam, emphasised that Oxfam has been giving old clothes a second use for nearly 80 years, but non-rewearable textiles more urgently need infrastructure to recover the fibres within them. Cyndi Rhoades, CEO and co-founder of Circle-8, stated that retailers participating today in building a circular textiles value chain will be better positioned tomorrow to influence it and benefit from it.

For the industry, the significance of this project lies in bringing brands, charities, and regeneration technology providers to the same table to try to solve the problem of how post-consumer old clothing — especially the non-rewearable portion — can enter the fibre regeneration supply chain at scale. If the first phase of testing goes smoothly, automated sorting plus a traceability framework could provide a replicable business model for textile-to-textile recycling in the UK and beyond.

Source: New Look, M&S, Sainsbury's, Oxfam launch UK textile recycling plan - Fibre2Fashion · Originally published on 2026-09-24