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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Renewcell Was Poised to Lead Fashion’s Recycling Revolution. How Did It Fail?

The Swedish company was at the forefront of efforts to scale up supply of more sustainable materials. It filed for bankruptcy on Sunday.
Renewcell.
Swedish textile-to-textile recycler Renewcell filed for bankruptcy on Sunday. (Alexander Donka)

Late in December 2022, Swedish recycler Renewcell shipped the first batch of raw material from an industrial-scale plant it had built to transform textile waste into feedstock for new fabrics.

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Further Reading

Are New Materials Ready to Go Mainstream?

A wave of high-profile failures has dampened the hype around biofabricated materials and ingredients, making this year a critical one for start-ups in the space to execute on scale-up plans.

What’s Blocking the Rise of More Sustainable Materials?

Weaker-than-expected demand for Swedish textile recycler Renewcell’s first commercial volumes of recycled cellulose pulp has sent the company’s stock price plummeting and highlighted broader hurdles challenging efforts to lessen fashion’s environmental footprint.

About the author
Sarah Kent
Sarah Kent

Sarah Kent is Chief Sustainability Correspondent at The Business of Fashion. She is based in London and drives BoF's coverage of critical environmental and labour issues.

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