Earlier this month, on World Environment Day, Chinese pulp producer Tangshan Sanyou Group Xingda Chemical Fibre Co. Ltd, succeeded in producing its Tangcell brand viscose staple fibre made from 50 percent post-consumer recycled cotton textile "Circulose" pulp, supplied by the Swedish chemical textile recycler Re:NewCell AB. The remaining 50 percent was made of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody (CoC) wood pulp audited by CanopyStyle.
Located in Caofeidian new district, Tangshan, Hebei Province in China, Tangshan Sanyou Group Xingda Chemical Fibre Co. Ltd is a subsidiary of Tangshan Sanyou Group, one of the world’s largest viscose fibre producers with an annual production capacity of 800 000 tonnes.
According to a statement, this milestone in the fashion industry’s transition to a circular economy is applauded by the Canada-headed environmental not-for-profit organization Canopy, which works collaboratively with 198 international apparel brands and retailers in search of such new innovative products. Canopy has collaborated with Tangshan Sanyou and Re:NewCell for several years on sourcing solutions.
Sanyou Chemical Fiber has been committed to providing sustainable fiber for textile industry chain with innovative technology. This cooperation with Re:NewCell is a remarkable breakthrough in the textile recycling field. Next, we will continue to provide more non-wood fiber solutions for brands, commented Zheng Baishan, President of Tangshan Sanyou Group Chemical Fibre Co.
Tackle cellulosic textile waste
Each year, 20 million tonnes of cotton textiles and 6.5 million tonnes of viscose textiles are consumed worldwide and converted into garments, beddings, and personal care items such as wipes. The recycling process for cotton and its introduction into viscose fabric on an industrial scale is a new innovative technology and a timely breakthrough for the textile and fashion industries.
This breakthrough proves that we don’t need to harvest virgin forests, cotton fields, or oil wells to make high-quality fashion materials at a big scale. Together, Tangshan Sanyou and Re:NewCell have delivered what the fashion industry needs to make a transition to sustainability – a climate positive, low-impact, and truly circular raw material. We will now work together with Tangshan Sanyou to build on this success and bring many thousands of tonnes of recycled materials to the market, commented Mattias Jonsson, CEO of Re:NewCell.
The announcement sets a completely new bar for the viscose supply chain in its quest to be more sustainable and meet brands’ preference for fabrics made from post-consumer recycled textiles. It is a remarkable precedent; one that heralds a new era of climate solutions for brands and supply chain partners.
The introduction of a new viscose fabric made from 50 percent recycled textiles represents an important leap forward for the global textile and fashion industries. We congratulate Sanyou and Re:NewCell on these exciting results of their collaboration. They are setting a new bar in the development of Next Generation Solutions, one that brands and the broader market place eagerly await, said Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy.
Sweden-headed Ekman & Co AB, a world-leading forest products sales and marketing organization is a leading supplier of dissolving pulp for viscose manufacture and have been actively promoting industrial cooperation and innovation between Tangshan Sanyou and Re:NewCell.
