Circular Systems

Agraloop fabrics / Source: Circular Systems

Agraloop BioFibreAsiaCottonEuropeHempNorth AmericaTexloop RCOTTextiles

WHAT WE SAY:

We love to champion those that are bucking the old system, and Circular Systems are definitely pushing for change, aiming to create a family of circular and regenerative products that capture waste and turn it into sources of value for the fashion industry.

We like what we see so far, so long as petrochemical plastics are not part of the process or the final product. Circular Systems is known for its light-touch mechanical cotton recycling and its ability to turn abundant but typically wasted agricultural by-products into yarns and fibres, which explains why the company has caught the eye of some big fashion giants. Now, with new licensing agreements in place to scale production, our main questions are how big, how uncompromised, and how fast can Circular Systems become?

Agraloop processing stages / Source: Circular Systems

ABOUT CIRCULAR SYSTEMS

Circular Systems is a materials science company that works with recycled and regenerative technologies to create fibres for the textile industry.
The company was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 2017 by current CEO Isaac Nichelson, Goef Kime and Yitzac Goldstein.
Circular Systems has developed multiple waste-to-fibre platforms. Texloop uses Cotton textile waste to produce RCOT, a recycled cotton blend; Agraloop is a near-zero water, closed-loop process designed to convert agricultural waste into BioFibre, a natural textile fibre; Orbital is a hybrid yarn which blends recycled synthetics with natural fibres (including RCOT and BioFibre) to enable the final textiles to offer performance qualities like wicking and quick-drying despite having a high percentage of natural fibre content.
Across all of its platforms, Circular Systems claims to use minimal external energy or processing. For example, its Texloop platform does not attempt to convert cotton textile waste back to its cellulosic state, but looks to mechanically recycle it as efficiently as possible. The same applies when it comes to synthetics – the thread is recycled as it is, rather than repolymerising it through a chemical process.
The company is looking for local partners to licence its Agraloop platform, pointing to the need for agricultural waste to be processed close to its source, as well as the wider social benefits of having local production facilities.
Circular Systems is in the process of developing a Crop Residue Standard, in partnership with Textile Exchange, that will be used for the Agraloop product. While this shows a positive leaning towards transparency, we — and you — should remain highly sceptical of all voluntary certifications until proven otherwise.
Circular Systems has raised USD 9.1 million in funding to date. Notable investors include Levi’s (in part through its accelerator programme) and Bestseller (through its Fashion FWD Lab).
In 2018, Circular Systems’ Agraloop was one of the winners of H&M’s Global Change Award.
At the end of 2021, Circular Systems signed a licensing agreement with Pakistan-based Nishat Mills to help scale up its production capacity, although no details were given as to the expected output volumes.
In February 2022, Circular Systems joined Fashion for Good’s ‘Untapped Agricultural Waste Project’, supported by its corporate partners Adidas, Bestseller, Vivobarefoot and Birla Cellulose.