Blue Cast: Circ’s Arshiya Lal on Taking Circularity to a Commercial Scale

As the industry looks to expand circularity, one challenge has historically been the prevalence of fabric blends. Solutions have been able to process mono materials, but tackling compositions like popular polyester-cotton blends was trickier.

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Textile-to-textile recycling solutions provider Circ’s chemical recycling technology is novel in that it can separate polyester from cotton. The polyester is processed into new polyester fibers while the cotton becomes pulp that fiber manufacturers can use for lyocell production.

In the latest episode of our Blue Cast podcast, Arshiya Lal, director of corporate development at Circ, spoke with Lenzing’s Tuncay Kilickan about the company’s game plan. The startup is currently in the phase of creating pilot collections with brands like Zara and Mara Hoffman with about 4,000 to 5,000 pieces, and it is gearing up for capacity growth. In late 2026 or early 2027, the company plans to introduce its first commercial-scale factory, and it wants to get the industry ready.

Why EPR for Textiles is Critical to a Truly Circular Fashion Economy

Read more on Carved in Blue .

This article is one of a series on Rivet from Lenzing’s Carved in Blue denim blog. From conversations with the experts behind the mills that make some of the world’s most-wanted denim to the global brands bringing novel denim made with TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal to the market, Carved in Blue shares the stories of those whose roots run deep with denim. Visit www.carvedinblue.tencel.com .

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