US textile recycler Circ and international fast-fashion retailer Primark announced on September 28 a long-term partnership under which Primark will incorporate Circ's recycled polyester made from textile waste into its apparel lines, with plans to achieve scaled, affordable supply by 2029. This is Primark's first multi-year offtake agreement with a textile-to-textile recycler.

Key Points

  • Circ and Primark signed a multi-year offtake agreement; recycled polyester is slated to enter Primark apparel in 2029, achieving scale and affordable pricing
  • Feedstock will come from Circ's first industrial-scale commercial plant; the company will source post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste globally, including value-added utilization of European textile waste
  • Circ's patented technology targets polycotton waste, separating and recovering both polyester and cellulose

Deal Background and Commercial Implications

Circ is headquartered in the US and focuses on textile-to-textile recycling. According to the announcement, the recycled polyester under the agreement will be produced at Circ's commercial plant, which is also Circ's first industrial-scale textile-to-textile recycling facility. The plant's feedstock comes from multiple global sourcing locations, covering post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste, with a portion derived from the resource recovery of European textile waste.

For Primark, this partnership is one of its initiatives to promote circular materials and reduce reliance on virgin polyester, and it marks the company's first such multi-year sourcing commitment.

Technology and Material Highlights

Circ's patented technology addresses polycotton blended fabrics—one of the highest-volume and historically hardest-to-recycle material streams in the fashion industry. The technology separates and recovers polyester and cellulose from mixed textile waste, producing high-quality materials that can re-enter the fashion supply chain.

Statements from Both Parties

Circ CEO Peter Majeranowski said the partnership with Primark represents exactly the kind of long-term commercial commitment needed for textile-to-textile recycling to move from innovation to industry standard; when a global fashion retailer commits to integrating recycled materials into future collections, it sends a clear signal to the entire industry: demand already exists, materials are ready, and the opportunity to scale circular material supply chains is real.

Primark Cares Director Lynne Walker said that when Primark Cares launched, its focus was on improving clothing quality and longevity and proving that durable clothing need not cost more; since then the company has made tangible progress, including increasing the share of recycled fibers, launching recyclable-design products, and strengthening supply chain traceability. She called the partnership a significant milestone in accelerating its circularity agenda, with the potential to help scale textile-to-textile recycling solutions that have transformative potential.

Industry Significance

This deal reflects that brand-side willingness to procure textile-to-textile recycled materials is shifting from pilot collaborations to multi-year offtake arrangements. For recycled fiber suppliers, long-term brand procurement commitments are key to supporting industrial-scale capacity investment; for brands, securing qualified recycled material at affordable prices and sufficient volume remains the core variable in delivering on circularity goals.

(The above content is compiled from announcements and management statements by both Circ and Primark)

Source: Circ and Primark announce long-term partnership to scale the use of textile-to-textile recycled fibres · Originally published 2026-09-28