Circulose – the company born out of the February 2024 administration of circular fashion pioneer Renewcell – has partnered with Spanish retailer Mango in a move intended to accelerate the adoption of regenerated materials in fashion.
Mango is the first scaling partner since investment firm Altor acquired Renewcell’s remaining assets in June 2024 and renamed the business ‘Circulose’ in reference to the collapsed business’s hero product.
The partnership aligns with Mango’s long-term strategy to transition towards a more circular fashion model and to reduce its environmental impact, and will involve shifting a share of its man-made cellulosic fibre use to fibre made with Circulose.
Circulose (the product not the business name) is a regenerated material made from 100% discarded textiles that enables fashion brands to reduce their reliance on virgin fibres, while still maintaining high standards of quality and design which are important as businesses look to increase the longevity of the products they bring to market.
Andrés Fernández, sustainability & sourcing director at Mango, commented: “We’re proud to be the first brand to partner in Circulose’s new phase and look forward to working closely together to advance our shared circularity goal.
“This collaboration marks a significant step on our sustainability roadmap as we strive to exclusively use fibres with lower environmental impact by 2030 and reflects our commitment to fostering a more circular and responsible fashion ecosystem, where innovation and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.”
Jonatan Janmark, CEO of Circulose, said of Mango: “Their strong commitment brings us one step closer to restarting the factory and sets a powerful example for the industry.
“We hope it will inspire other brands to follow their lead.”
Circulose is a material specifically produced from recycled cotton clothing that replaces the wood pulp traditionally used for man-made cellulosic fibres such as viscose. Brands such as Ganni, Levi’s, and Inditex-owned Zara piloted it in their clothing after its 2019 launch by Renewcell, while H&M was one of the group’s largest shareholders before the organisation fell into financial difficulty in 2024.
Altor is giving these regenerated materials another chance after acquiring assets of the collapsed business for an undisclosed fee in June 2024. Under the new ownership, Circulose has strengthened its commercial strategy by focusing on brand partnerships, introducing an innovative pricing model, and offering expanded support services.
The new pricing model, developed in collaboration with not-for-profits Fashion for Good and Canopy requires brands to license Circulose to access the fibre. According to Circulose, the new structure is specifically designed to reduce pricing friction and drive adoption at scale, shifting from limited capsule collections to large-scale adoption of next-gen materials.
The license also includes services that support large-scale implementation, such as transition planning, supply chain orchestration, and traceability.
[image credit: Circulose]
