From the Sector

The October 2025 edition of PERFORMANCE DAYS, taking place from October 29–30 in Munich, will spotlight a topic that is vital for the future of the textile industry: the role of recyclers in an increasingly circular economy. Under the new Focus Topic “Textile to Textile – the role of recyclers”, the fair aims to provide in-depth insights into one of the most pressing challenges of the industry.

The linear textile model is nearing its end. With increasing regulatory pressures such as Extended Producer Responsibility EPR and Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules PEFCR, circularity is shifting from aspiration to necessity. While mechanical recycling of PET bottles is well established, textile-to-textile T2T recycling remains at an earlier and more complex stage of development.

Recyclers are now playing a pivotal role in the transition to circular systems. However, many are still adapting to the scale and technical challenges involved. T2T recycling is not a standalone solution and it is part of a broader transformation that also requires reducing overproduction, encouraging reuse and repair, and rethinking design and consumption models.

The urgency is clear: the global textile industry generates 92 million tonnes of waste annually, yet less than 1% is recycled into new clothing (Ellen MacArthur Foundation). Unlike downcycling or waste-to-energy methods, T2T recycling retains material quality, enabling the production of new garments from existing ones. The ultimate goal is a closed-loop system that minimizes waste and reduces dependency on virgin resources.

In Europe, policy is accelerating this shift. The EU Waste Framework Directive mandates separate collection of textiles by 2025. In parallel, the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles promotes the reduction of virgin material use and enhances resource efficiency. These initiatives are driving investment in sorting technologies, digital product passports, and advanced recycling systems.

Regina Goller, Head of Material Strategy and Future Trends, explains:
“Circularity is the key topic of our time – and textile-to-textile recycling is a core pillar of the circular economy. The industry is working intensively on solutions, and much is already possible, even on a large scale. At the same time, new regulations are demanding concrete action. At PERFORMANCE DAYS, we see it as our mission to raise awareness – both for what is already possible and what lies ahead. We connect the right players and build the networks needed to truly close the loop.”

Infinited Fiber Company announces that Petri Alava, co-founder and CEO since the company’s founding in 2016, will step down from his role on May 31, 2025. Chief Operating Officer Sahil Kaushik will serve as acting CEO from June 1, 2025. Petri Alava will continue supporting the company as Senior Advisor through the end of November. The Board of Directors has initiated the search for a permanent successor.

While circularity and sustainability remain essential, competitiveness is now front and center in the next phase of Infinited Fiber’s industrial scale-up. The company’s strategy is evolving accordingly, with an intensified focus on operational excellence and readiness for large-scale industrial investment.

“Our product has been validated by the market — the value is now established,” said Andreas Tallberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “The next strategic priority is to turn that value into profitable industrial scale, by optimizing cost and capital efficiency. We’re grateful for the work Petri and the team have done and excited to begin the next chapter — with Sahil, who brings deep experience in scaling industrial production and driving efficiency in the chemical industry, now leading the transition.”

“Infinna is a breakthrough innovation that’s more relevant than ever,” said Kaushik. “It’s a privilege to lead this talented team, together with world-leading brands supporting us as investors. We have a clear path forward and a solid foundation for the next phase.”

Over the past decade, Petri Alava has played a central role in shaping Infinited Fiber into a global front-runner in textile-to-textile recycling of cotton. Under his leadership, the company’s circular fiber Infinna™ has achieved strong market traction, backed by long-term offtake agreements with leading fashion brands, underscoring Infinna’s unique value and laying the groundwork for scaling a profitable business.

“Ten years is a long time to lead a growth company — and a natural point for change,” said Petri Alava. “I’m incredibly proud of the journey we’ve made as a team: we’ve built something truly valuable — a recycled cotton-like fiber with exceptional market fit, proven demand, and long-term partnerships. Now, with market dynamics shifting and Infinited Fiber entering a new strategic phase, it’s the right time to pass the baton — from creating value to scaling it. I’m happy to support the team during the transition.”

Sports company PUMA and RE&UP Recycling Technologies have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to scale a fully circular textile solution, transforming textile waste into RE&UP’s Next-Gen Recycled Cotton Fibers and Recycled Polyester Chips.

Circularity is one of the focus areas of PUMA’s Vision 2030 sustainability goals and the company has already scaled up its RE:FIBRE textile-to-textile recycling program, producing millions of football jerseys made out of an increasing share of recycled textiles. RE&UP has become a key Next-Gen raw material partner in the RE:FIBRE program supporting PUMA’s ambition to reduce reliance on bottle-recycled polyester, enhancing true circularity while minimizing textile waste. Due to its previous success, this collaboration has now evolved into a broader global commitment to fully enabling circularity.

As part of the expansion, PUMA will introduce RE:FIBRE to the Americas, leveraging RE&UP’s recycled raw materials within its local supply chain. Both companies have a long-term commitment to scaling sustainable solutions in the textile industry. By 2030, PUMA aims to use 30% fiber-to-fiber recycled polyester fabric for its apparel products.

RE&UP’s revolutionary recycling technology is a key enabler of the circular transition of the industry, especially due to its unique capability to process diverse textile feedstocks, including post-consumer and post-industrial waste, as well as complex blended textiles like polycotton and polyester-elastane—materials, traditionally difficult to recycle. Powered with 100% renewable energy and leveraging advanced technologies such as decolorization processes, RE&UP sets a new benchmark for sustainable, low-impact recycled textile fibers.

March, 5 marks the official launch of the T2T Alliance - Powering Policy for a Textile-to-Textile Future, spearheaded by recyclers Circ, Circulose, RE&UP, Syre to advocate for their sector within the EU policy framework and beyond. With the textile industry at a critical juncture, the T2T Alliance unites key stakeholders to secure their place at the heart of Europe’s circular economy policies. By bringing recyclers’ expertise to the forefront, the T2T Alliance is driving policy change that supports a thriving, resilient and truly sustainable textile industry.

Set to become the defining textile policy of 2025, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will introduce market-entry ecodesign requirements that mandate a significant increase in recycled textile fibers by 2028. Alongside ongoing work in the EcoDesign Forum, the Commission’s technical body is preparing ecodesign requirements and invited stakeholder feedback on its latest report. The T2T Alliance seized the opportunity to provide expert input on the development of ecodesign requirements for textile apparel through:

• Promoting T2T recycled content and recyclability as core requirements in the ESPR ecodesign requirements for textiles
• Supporting a closed-loop textile recycling approach which includes post-industrial, pre-consumer waste and post-consumer waste
• Clarifying misconceptions about the textile recycling industry in the report (for example, by debunking the assumption that allowing post-industrial waste to fulfil recycled content targets would incentivise its overproduction)
• Advocating for a wide range of verification methods for tracing recycled material.

The T2T recycling industry requires urgent strategic intervention to ensure its long-term viability. Closing the loop in the textile industry, textile-to-textile recycling is an innovative process that involves converting used or waste textiles into new textile products. While the developments on the ESPR represent a momentous milestone, the direction that policy discussions are currently taking will have detrimental effects on the growth of T2T recyclers.

Even though the perspective of T2T recyclers is essential for effective policymaking, it seemed to be underrepresented in policy discussions so far. The T2T Alliance is a force to provide policymakers with an understanding of the real-world impact of sustainability policies, holds them accountable and ensures textile circularity is a non-negotiable in EU policy. The group is facilitated by 2B Policy, a consultancy that supports businesses to navigate a regulated future by offering strategic guidance, compliance support and facilitating industry collaboration and association building. The T2T Alliance will act as a hub for advocacy, collaboration and joint action and ensure T2T recyclers’ interests are not just heard but embedded in future textile policies, in the EU and beyond.

The Alliance is committed to:

• Advocating for textile-to-textile recyclers’ perspective in EU legislation and policies.
• Supporting the development of new legal requirements mandating textile-to-textile recycled content and recyclability in new textile products in the context of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
• Removing barriers that hinder the growth and scalability of the T2T industry.

The formation of the T2T Alliance marks a significant milestone in the development toward a truly circular textile economy. By uniting key stakeholders, the Alliance will advocate for textile-to-textile recyclers to receive the necessary recognition in the policy ecosystem and support policymakers in understanding the full impact on T2T recyclers and incorporating these insights into policies.

When PERFORMANCE DAYS opens its doors on March 5-6, 2025, at halls C4 and C5 at Messe München, visitors will once again discover fabric innovations for Spring/Summer 2027 across the Performancewear, Bodywear, and Accessories segments. For the first time, a dedicated Wool Forum will be introduced alongside the existing Trend, Footwear, and Bodywear Forums. A jury of renowned industry experts carefully reviewed the submissions for the upcoming season and awarded a total of four prizes.

At the heart of the event, the Trend Forum will showcase the award-winning fabrics for the first time, including the winners of the PERFORMANCE AWARD and the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD. As the dedicated Footwear Area will now only appear at the fall fair, this year’s Footwear Forum will also be integrated into the Trend Forum in Hall C4. Additionally, visitors can explore the first-ever Wool Forum, located in the Wool Area, which mirrors the setup of the Bodywear Forum in the Bodywear Collective.

The jury, led by Marco Weichert, CEO of PERFORMANCE DAYS, along with Clarissa Stadelmann (Product Manager), Jury Head Alexa Dehmel, Regina Goller (Head of Innovation & Future Trends), and guest juror Laura Howe, Fabric Technologist at Mountain Equipment, expressed their enthusiasm for the outstanding submissions.

Sustainability and innovation in focus: Wool makes a grand comeback
The materials were divided into 13 categories, including 3-layer membranes, baselayers, workwear, bags, waterproof 2-layer fabrics, wool, and others. A particular emphasis was placed on this season’s Focus Topic: “Certifications – Which Ones Matter?”. The top 28 fabrics from each category, along with insights from the Focus Topic compiled by CSR specialist Anna Schuster, will be presented in the Trend Forum.

Previous focus topics have significantly elevated the quality of submissions. The Fall 2024 topic, “Colorization: Chemistry is Everywhere,” spurred a rise in the use of bio-synthetic dyes. Meanwhile, the Spring 2024 theme, “The Future of Polyester: Beyond the Bottle,” showcased advancements in textile-to-textile recycling materials.

This year, developments in the categories of Membranes, Safety & Durability (including aramid fibers), and Wool particularly stood out. Wool demonstrated exceptional versatility, being used in applications ranging from windbreakers to shirts. There was also notable growth in materials such as hemp-lyocell blends, recycled polyamide, and multi-component yarns. Two standout fabrics included a “Hulk fabric” featuring color-shifting effects under tension and a luxuriously soft modal-cashmere knit.

The award-winning innovations and highlighted materials will be on display during PERFORMANCE DAYS on March 5-6, 2025, in halls C4 and C5 at Messe München.

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), with support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the H&M Foundation, has launched the Upstream Circularity Playbook, now available in six languages. This comprehensive resource draws on extensive case studies across multiple countries to provide a globally accessible, step-by-step guide specifically tailored for garment manufacturing regions. Designed to help stakeholders scale circular business models by valorising post-industrial textile waste, the Playbook equips manufacturing hubs with tools needed to drive sustainable change.

With over 520 global regulations now encouraging circularity and regionalisation in sourcing and design, the Playbook serves as a critical tool for establishing and scaling upstream circular ecosystems. It equips manufacturers, brands, policymakers, and investors with actionable strategies to implement circular fashion solutions in core manufacturing regions. With significant volumes of post-industrial textile waste yet to be properly harnessed, its consistency and high quality present a pivotal opportunity for scaling textile-to-textile recycling technologies in manufacturing regions. This can pave the way for recycling of post-use textiles and clothing. In Bangladesh alone, embracing textile recycling could unlock USD 4 to 5 billion annually through the export of recycled products, however, limited recycling capacity underscores a critical gap in industrial waste management.

Empowering Circularity in Manufacturing Countries
The Upstream Circularity Playbook draws on over 20 case studies from diverse regions such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, providing an international and regional perspective that fosters knowledge sharing across the fashion industry. The examples showcase successful collaborations between brands, manufacturers, recyclers, and textile waste collectors, offering a replicable model for scaling circular solutions in various global contexts. Collaboration across the entire value chain is critical for unlocking the full potential of circularity. The Upstream Circularity Playbook provides a roadmap for stakeholders to work together in building a just and scalable circular fashion system.

A Constructive Framework for Action
The Playbook offers a pragmatic, step-by-step framework for building the necessary infrastructure to scale circularity in garment manufacturing countries. It provides essential tools for:

• Segregating textile waste at the factory level to prevent contamination and enhance recycling quality.
• Leveraging digital traceability platforms to track waste flows and align with recycler requirements.
• Collecting, aggregating, and sorting textile waste to ensure it is properly prepared and delivered to recyclers.
• Matching textile waste to the best use case by selecting the most suitable recycling technologies to ensure high-quality material recovery.
• Designing for circularity by incorporating recycled materials into new products, contributing to the creation of a closed-loop system.

Harnessing the Opportunity
This emphasis on upstream circularity presents an immediate opportunity to valorise post-industrial waste, laying the groundwork for scaling textile-to-textile recycling and ultimately reducing dependency on virgin resources as they are gradually replaced by recycled materials. GFA previously noted in the Scaling Circularity Report that existing recycling technologies have the potential to drive up to 80% circularity in the fashion industry if fully scaled. Additionally, the Pre-Feasibility Report highlights that, in the case of Bangladesh, recycling textile waste could reduce cotton imports by 20%, saving nearly $750 million USD annually.  The Upstream Circularity Playbook therefore builds on this research by providing an actionable framework for the industry to harness such opportunities.

With contributions from over 20 experts and organisations, the Playbook is designed to spur action on a global scale. It provides a blueprint for fostering economic, environmental, and social benefits in garment manufacturing regions and emphasises the need for collaboration across the value chain to achieve a scalable solution for textile-to-textile recycling.

The Upstream Circularity Playbook is openly accessible and available in six languages, inviting stakeholders worldwide to provide feedback and join the conversation.

In a position paper published, the companies organised in the VDMA Textile Machinery Association comment on the ambitious EU regulations and their national implementation for the sustainable and circular transformation of the textile and clothing industry.

The production of textiles requires a large number of resources, such as water, energy and chemicals. “The members of VDMA Textile Machinery support customers with products worldwide to utilise great potential already at the textile production stage to thereby reduce CO2 emissions“, explained Verena Thies, Deputy Chairwoman of VDMA Textile Machinery.

The position statement emphasises the importance of efficient processes, circular economy and binding rules for all market participants. Besides, the position paper summarises the status of textile-to-textile recycling processes as well as the framework conditions for reprocessing of recyclates. The companies of VDMA Textile Machinery develop processes and technologies for recycling and provide the technical prerequisites for the efficient reuse and recycling of textile raw materials, whether natural or man-made fibres.
The Executive Board of VDMA Textile Machinery stresses additionally, that the new EU regulations for circular economy and their national implementation must be designed with realistic targets, measurable effects and as little bureaucracy as possible. Furthermore, market surveillance is needed to ensure a level playing field for all market participants.

On behalf of the industry, the VDMA Textile Machinery Association calls for creating better location conditions in Germany and EU as a favourable environment for innovation und competitiveness for textile machinery manufacturing to significantly advance the sustainability of the textile industry: The Textile Machinery Association strongly emphasises the need for a wide range of low-cost green energy, which is essential for the implementation and sustainable use of recycling solutions in the manufacturing industry. The association also sees the positive shaping of location conditions (the potential for skilled labour, a reduction in bureaucracy, shorter approval periods, investment security and predictability as well as a reduction in the tax burden) as a decisive factor for supporting sustainable business in the highly competitive textile and clothing industry.

Circ^®, a US-based textile-to-textile recycling innovator, announced the launch of Circ^®-Ready, an exclusive community of global supply-chain partners who have demonstrated their ability to make high-quality, better-for-the-planet solutions for fashion brands using Circ materials. The inaugural Circ-Ready partners include AGI Denim, Foshan Chicley Textile Co., Ltd., Giotex, Marubeni Corporation, MAS Holdings, PYRATEX®, Selenis, SHINJINTEX, Soorty Denimkind, Tainan Spinning Co., Ltd., and Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI).

The Circ-Ready community is a selected group of partners who have a proven positive track record and commitment to working with Circ recycled products and have been individually evaluated for industry success. Circ-Ready partners work alongside the Circ team of experts to adequately test and utilize Circ fibers, exceeding quality standards from end to end. To promote transparency and ensure the integrity of Circ products, each Circ-Ready partner provides a commitment to relevant best-in-class certifications for recycled products.

Consisting of processors, manufacturers, and other vital industry players across tiers 1-4, each Circ-Ready partner has undergone a testing process to replace virgin inputs with Circ’s products, proving the ability to utilize Circ products in their existing operations and produce premium materials as a result. Being a member of the Circ-Ready community provides partners the opportunity to work with pilot-stage Circ products, receive ongoing support from Circ’s technical experts, and be among the first recommended by Circ when brands and partners seek to utilize Circ material.

Circ is a leader in blended textile-to-textile recycling, a known challenge for the industry. Each year, tens of millions of tons of polycotton textile waste is landfilled or burned because existing recycling solutions cannot separate the plastic from the natural fiber and recover both materials. Circ’s innovative recycling technology is the only platform to successfully separate polycotton blended textile waste and recover both cellulosic and synthetic fibers. Circ’s primary fiber outputs are regenerated Circ Lyocell and Circ Polyester from textile waste.

Fashion for Good's Sorting for Circularity framework expands to address the challenge of ensuring rewearable textiles remain in use as opposed to finding their way into global waste streams or landfills. This 18-month project tests automated sorting technologies using artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimise the sorting of rewearable garments and enable greater circularity.

This project will test automated sorting technologies using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to collect product information — such as colour, style, garment type, and quality. This will enable sorters and brands to make better decisions and sort efficiently based on product data and criteria from local, European, and export resale market requirements, thus optimising the flow of textiles to achieve their highest value potential.

To ensure accuracy and representation in capturing data on the flow of textiles within the EU and export markets, this project will focus on specific geographical regions: Lithuania (Nordic/Baltic), the Netherlands (Western), Poland (Central-Eastern), and Spain (Southern Europe).

The findings will be shared in a report with a supporting business case and implementation roadmap to inform investment decisions in infrastructure, Circular Business Models (CBM) and repair centres.

The Rewear Project builds on Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity framework initiated in 2021 and subsequently launched in Europe, India and the United States harmonising the collection, sorting and recycling industries in order to advance textile-to-textile recycling technologies and the resale industry.

It is funded by brand partners adidas, BESTSELLER, Bonprix, C&A, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co., Otto Group, PVH Corp., and Zalando. Circle Economy Foundation leads the creation and implementation of the methodology, with support from Consumption Research Norway, Oslo Metropolitan University and Revaluate.

Re:NewCell AB (publ) has created a patented process for 100% textile-to-textile recycling and has invested over SEK 1,300 million to establish an innovative and efficient textile recycling plant. The industrial scale plant in Ortviken currently has a capacity to produce up to 60,000 tonnes on an annual basis.

As communicated on 12 October, the Company has experienced lower than anticipated sales volumes to fiber producers in the third quarter and as communicated on 1 November and 7 November, the Company had low sales volumes in October. In addition, sales volumes in November are now expected to be lower than previously anticipated and in line with October sales volume. Discussions are ongoing with a number of customers to secure orders, but it is uncertain when they will materialise.

Therefore, Re:NewCell hereby announces that its Board of Directors has decided to immediately initiate a strategic review to explore and evaluate various funding alternatives. As part of this process, the Board of Directors will consider all potential alternatives to secure funding and optimise shareholder value. Such alternatives may include additional debt funding, equity injection through the form of a rights issue, equity injection through a directed issue targeted to a financial or strategic investor or other possible strategic transactions.
The Board of Directors has retained ABG Sundal Collier as financial advisor to assist in its review of alternatives. Vinge has been appointed as legal advisor in connection with the review process.

The Board of Directors has not set a timetable for completion of its review, but the process will be initiated immediately. Subject to compliance with its ongoing disclosure obligations pursuant to applicable laws and regulations, Re:NewCell undertakes no obligation to make any further announcements regarding the strategic review until a final decision is made by the Company’s Board of Directors.