UK retailers M&S, New Look, and Sainsbury's, together with charity Oxfam and circular textile company Circle-8, have jointly launched a collaborative project called The Circuit, aimed at converting post-consumer textiles generated in the UK into circular raw materials and establishing a new circular textile value chain. Circle-8 is responsible for building the infrastructure, partnership network, and commercial framework. The first phase is scheduled to launch in January 2027, initially focusing on automated textile sorting while simultaneously developing a traceability reporting framework.

Key Points

  • The participants are five organizations: M&S, New Look, Sainsbury's, Oxfam, and Circle-8, with Circle-8 leading the development of infrastructure and the commercial framework.
  • The first phase launches in January 2027, focusing on automated sorting and a traceability reporting framework.
  • According to Oxford Economics and UKFT data, the UK fashion and textile industry contributes £62 billion annually and supports 1.3 million jobs; in 2024, the UK generated approximately 1.4 million tonnes of post-consumer textiles, nearly half of which cannot be reused.

Project Background and Industry Pressure

The UK textile and apparel industry is large in scale, but its environmental footprint is equally prominent. Estimates from Oxford Economics and the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) show that the industry contributes £62 billion (approximately US$82.15 billion) to the UK economy each year and employs 1.3 million people. At the same time, the UK generated approximately 1.4 million tonnes of post-consumer textiles in 2024, nearly half of which has no reuse value, exposing gaps in recycling, reuse, and regeneration infrastructure.

Consumer behavior is also changing. Compared with buying new items at full price, more and more buyers are turning to second-hand clothing, and circularity is rising in priority for both consumers and businesses—seen as both a more sustainable way to shop and a more cost-effective choice.

Collaboration Mechanism and Goals

The Circuit connects retailers, textile recycling partners, automated sorting operators, regeneration companies, digital innovators, and manufacturers. As the use of synthetic materials in clothing rises, much of the waste is difficult to recycle or reuse. The project hopes to open up feasible pathways for such non-reusable textiles, including sorting and pre-treatment, and to scale up gradually. From mechanical recycling to chemical recycling, post-consumer textiles could potentially be converted into raw materials and enter regional and global supply chains.

New Look CEO Lynda Petherick said that if circularity is to truly become part of the fashion industry, it must move beyond the vision stage and begin building infrastructure and partnerships that can be implemented; participating in The Circuit means starting to learn now and helping shape scalable, replicable solutions. Katharine Beacham, Head of Sustainability and Materials for M&S Fashion, Home and Beauty, said the project creates viable outlets for non-reusable textiles. Ben Smith, Managing Director of Sainsbury's Tu Clothing, emphasized that a circular future requires industry-wide collaboration and innovation. Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce, Retail Director at Oxfam, pointed out that building infrastructure to recover valuable fibers from end-of-life textiles is a key step in reducing virgin resource consumption and environmental harm. Cyndi Rhoades, CEO and co-founder of Circle-8, said that retailers participating today in building the circular textile value chain are most likely to influence it and benefit from it in the future.

Industry Significance

The project seeks to complete sorting and pre-treatment locally in the UK, turning waste into feedstock for regional and global supply chains while driving employment and manufacturing opportunities. If the first phase proves successful, the challenge of high synthetic material content in clothing and limited recycling pathways may gain a scalable, commercialized model.

Source: M&S and New Look Partner for Circular Textile Value Chains · Originally published on 2026-09-29