Latest news with #NewRetex
Fashion United
09-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Circle-8 invests in AI-driven textile sorting
Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems has acquired its first standalone AI-powered textile sorting line from Danish firm NewRetex, in a move that signals growing momentum for automated circularity solutions in the UK fashion sector. Part-funded by the ACT UK initiative, supported by Innovate UK, the system will be deployed to sort non-reusable textiles by fibre composition, colour, and hardware elements—key barriers to recycling, reported sustainability website The line also features integrated data capture, enabling traceability from collection through to recyclers, laying the foundation for a future Digital Product Passport. Circle-8's missions is to democratise plastic collection through advanced software solutions. 'This investment accelerates the shift from manual to automated pre-processing and unlocks the scale needed for fibre-to-fibre recycling,' said Circle-8 CEO Cyndi Rhoades. The company plans to establish a network of Automated Textile Sorting & Pre-processing (ATSP) plants across the UK, supporting the country's transition to a circular textiles economy. The UK generates over 700,000 tonnes of non-reusable textiles annually, with less than 1 percent recycled into new materials. Manual sorting remains labour-intensive and cost-prohibitive—challenges Circle-8 aims to address through AI-driven automation. TRA CEO Alan Wheeler called the investment a 'significant step' toward unlocking high-value recycling markets. 'This kind of innovation, coupled with policy reform—such as extended producer responsibility and recycled content mandates—can reposition the UK as a leader in circular fashion,' he said.
Fashion Value Chain
03-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
Circle-8 & NewRetex Launch AI-Driven Textile Sorting in UK
Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems, a UK-based company, has partnered with Danish innovator NewRetex to introduce an AI-powered, automated textile sorting system, aiming to transform the UK's approach to non-reusable clothing. The move is part of Circle-8's broader mission to create a scalable circular textile economy, where textile waste is repurposed as raw material for fibre-to-fibre recycling. Currently, the UK discards over 700,000 tonnes of non-reusable textiles annually, with less than 1% being recycled into new textiles. With NewRetex's stand-alone sorting line, capable of processing 25,000 tonnes per year, Circle-8 is setting up the country's first industrial-scale infrastructure for automated sorting and pre-treatment of textile waste. The advanced technology identifies garments by material type, color, and presence of hard parts like zippers and buttons. It also collects granular data—such as size and weight of items—which feeds into a connected ecosystem of pre-sorting, baling, and recycling systems, and will eventually link to Digital Product Passports for traceability. Funded under Innovate UK's ACT UK programme, this initiative reflects the UK's push for sustainable innovation. Circle-8's Co-founder Cyndi Rhoades praised NewRetex's automation capabilities as vital to scaling recycling infrastructure. NewRetex CEO Rikke Bech also noted the project's potential to expand textile recycling across Europe.
