Fast-fashion retailer Primark has signed a long-term supply agreement with US textile recycling company Circ to purchase recycled polyester made from textile waste. The material is expected to be used in Primark clothing products from 2029. The two parties announced the partnership on September 28, with Primark calling it its first multi-year offtake agreement with a textile-to-textile recycler, though the term and volumes were not disclosed.

Key Points

  • Primark and Circ announced on September 28 a multi-year recycled polyester supply agreement, to be used in Primark clothing from 2029, with term and volumes undisclosed.
  • The supply source is Circ's first industrial-scale textile recycling plant under construction in Saint-Avold, France, with an investment of €450 million and a planned annual processing capacity of about 70,000 tonnes of textile waste.
  • The environmental permit application for the project was submitted this summer, with the competent authority possibly deciding by June 2027, construction starting later that year, and Circ currently expecting production in Q2 2029, later than the originally planned 2028.

The recycled polyester will be produced at Circ's plant in Saint-Avold in northeastern France. The plant is Circ's first industrial-scale textile-to-textile recycling facility, with a planned investment of €450 million and, once completed, the capacity to process about 70,000 tonnes of textile waste per year. Circ's technology targets cotton-polyester blends, separating the polyester and cellulose components so both can re-enter textile production; the company's listed planned outputs include pulp, purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG).

Circ has previously partnered with several major fashion groups. Inditex, Zara's parent company, invested in Circ in 2022, and Zara subsequently launched a capsule collection in 2023 using Circ recycled polyester and lyocell fibres. H&M Group has also worked with Circ, launching a men's denim collection in July this year using lyocell containing 30% Circ pulp made from recycled textile waste.

The environmental permit application for the Saint-Avold project was submitted this summer, with a decision by the competent authority possibly coming in June 2027 and construction planned to start in the second half of that year. Circ currently expects industrial production in Q2 2029, a delay from its original 2028 target.

For the used clothing and textile recycling industry, the value of this agreement lies in directly linking brands' long-term offtake demand with industrial-scale textile-to-textile capacity: the separated polyester, pulp and other components need stable downstream outlets, and the brand's multi-year offtake provides exactly that certainty. At the same time, the timeline from permit approval to production at the Saint-Avold plant also suggests that scaling textile-to-textile recycling still depends on environmental permits and construction cycles, and the timing of capacity release may continue to slip.

Source: Primark signs long-term supply agreement with Circ · Originally published 2026-10-01