Circ

What Circ does

Circ is a US-based textile-to-textile recycling company that develops and licenses proprietary hydrothermal technology to separate polycotton blended fabrics into recoverable cellulose (from cotton) and MEG/PTA (from polyester) streams. The company was founded in 2019 (with a predecessor entity dating to 2011) and is headquartered in Danville, Virginia. Its core commercial outputs are three branded recycled fibers — Circ Lyocell, Circ Viscose, and Circ Polyester — produced by manufacturing partners such as Lenzing, Birla Cellulose, Xinxiang Bailu, Tangshan Sanyou, Arvind, Selenis, Far Eastern, and Acegreen using Circ's recycled pulp and licensed process know-how.

Circ generates revenue through two complementary streams: direct B2B sales of recycled pulp and finished fibers to fiber manufacturers and fashion brands, and strategic technology and supply partnerships with mills that license or procure Circ's recovered inputs for commercial fiber production. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting major apparel, footwear, and luxury brands (Zara/Inditex, H&M Group, Allbirds, Reformation, Madewell, Zalando, Bestseller, C&A, Eileen Fisher, Everlane, Mara Hoffman, Christian Siriano, Vivobarefoot, PYRATEX). Circ addresses the textile-waste crisis by offering what it describes as the only market-tested commercial solution for polycotton recycling, and it is constructing a $500 million, 70,000-metric-ton-per-year industrial facility in Saint-Avold, France. Backers include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Inditex, Zalando, Taranis Investment, Circulate Capital, Avery Dennison, Youngone, Milliken & Company, and Lansdowne Partners, with cumulative disclosed funding above $85M.

Name

Circ

Legal name

Circ, Inc.

Website

https://circ.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Circ develops patented hydrothermal technology to recycle polycotton blends into Circ Lyocell, Viscose, and Polyester fibers, selling recycled pulp and partnering with mills such as Lenzing, Birla Cellulose, and Xinxiang Bailu to supply fashion and footwear brands including Zara, H&M, and Allbirds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Recycling Materials

NAICS

Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (31311)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Regenerated & Recycled Fiber Production (rPET/rNylon/Regenerated Cellulose) (IMAOAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Blended-Fiber Separation & Material Recovery (Cotton-Poly/Elastane Blends) (IMAOAMAF), Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste) (BPALADAL)

Keywords

• Textile recycling technology
• Recycled cellulose fibers
• Polycotton fiber recovery
• Sustainable fashion materials
• Circular textile manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Danville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Recycled Fiber Sales: Circ generates revenue by selling recycled pulp, lyocell, viscose, and polyester materials to fiber manufacturers and fashion brands. The company works with partners to transform recovered inputs into commercial-grade fibers sold to brands for use in their products.
2. Technology Licensing and Partnerships: Revenue derived from strategic partnerships with fiber manufacturers who license or procure Circ's technology and recycled pulp for commercial production.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Circ operates a textile-to-textile recycling platform that uses a patented hydrothermal process to separate polycotton blended fabrics into recovered polyester (MEG and PTA) and cellulose inputs. These recovered inputs are transformed into Circ Lyocell, Circ Viscose, and Circ Polyester fibers, which are sold to fiber manufacturers and fashion brands for use in commercial apparel and footwear collections. The company also sells recycled pulp directly to fiber manufacturers as a feedstock for downstream fiber production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Circ® Lyocell: Textile-to-textile recycled lyocell fiber integrating regenerated cellulose from textile waste into staple and filament fibers.
• Circ® Viscose
• Circ® Polyester
• Fiber Club
• Circ-Ready

Products and services

• Circ Lyocell Recycled lyocell fiber made from cellulose recovered from polycotton textile waste, sold to fiber manufacturers and fashion brands for use in apparel collections as a drop-in sustainable alternative to virgin lyocell.
• Circ Viscose Recycled-content viscose fiber made from cellulose recovered from polycotton textile waste, supplied to fiber manufacturers for use in brand apparel collections.
• Circ Polyester Recycled polyester fiber produced from recovered MEG and PTA monomers extracted from polycotton textile waste, designed as a direct substitute for virgin polyester in apparel and footwear applications.
• Circ Recycled Pulp Recovered cellulose pulp feedstock produced from polycotton textile waste, sold to fiber manufacturers for integration into commercial viscose and lyocell fiber production lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Aims to recycle 10 billion garments and save over 100 million trees
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Xinxiang Bailu Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026New partnership agreement with one of the world's leading producers of viscose filament. Xinxiang Bailu will procure Circ's recycled pulp for commercial-grade viscose filament production, serving as a commercial partner in China with the world's largest viscose filament production capacity.
• Lenzing AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 February 2026Supply chain partner in Fiber Club program. Lenzing coordinates production from recycled pulp to fiber to yarn, producing TENCEL | Circ with REFIBRA technology.
• Linz TextilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 February 2026Supply chain partner in Fiber Club program coordinating production from recycled pulp to fiber to yarn.
• Niccolò PasqualettiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2025Designer debuting Circ's recycled materials at Paris Fashion Week.
• Patrick McDowellminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025London-based designer bringing Circ's recycled polyester filament to the runway at London Fashion Week.
• PYRATEXminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025PYRATEX adopts Circ recycled fibers to accelerate circular textiles in Europe and beyond.
• Tangshan SanyoucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2025Partnership to scale Circ Lyocell in China with Tangshan Sanyou Chemical Fiber Co.
• T2T Alliance (Textile-to-Textile Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2025Circ is a founding member of the T2T Alliance alongside Circulose, RE&UP, Syre, Samsara Eco, and Recover. Alliance shapes shared standards, demand signals, and policy frameworks to enable recycled materials to compete with virgin fibers.
• American Circular Textiles (AMCIRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2025Circ plays a central role in advancing global policy and industry standards through AMCIRC alongside other leading closed-loop recyclers.
• Birla CellulosecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2024Strategic partnership with India's Birla Cellulose to accelerate scaling textile recycling innovation. Birla is a leading producer of man-made cellulosic fibers.
• VivobarefootminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2024Partnership to pioneer chemical recycling for footwear applications.
• Arvind LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2024Partnership with India's Arvind Limited to expand access to circular polyester and lyocell at scale.
• SeleniscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2024Strategic partnership to scale textile-to-textile polyester production in Europe. Selenis makes high-quality rPET from Circ's recovered terephthalic acid.
• Far Eastern GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2024Partnership with Far Eastern Group to drive circularity at scale.
• UNIDO SWITCH2CE ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2024UNIDO program bringing stakeholders to Bangladesh to advance blended textile recycling.
• Acegreen Eco-Material TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2023Strategic partnership with Taiwan's Acegreen to manufacture lyocell from recycled textile waste. Collaboration ongoing for nearly five years, aiming to increase use of reclaimed cotton to create sustainable fibers, including capsule collection with Zara.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RE&UP: RE&UP operates textile-to-textile recycling plants converting polyester and polycotton waste into recycled PET chips, polyester fiber, and other inputs. It competes directly with Circ in T2T polyester and cotton-polyester separation, serving similar fashion brand customers.
• Syre: Syre is a textile-to-textile polyester recycler scaling virgin-equivalent recycled polyester, backed by H&M Group and Inditex (both Circ investors and customers). It targets the same circular fashion demand and overlaps with Circ on polyester and polycotton feedstock.
• Circulose: Circulose produces dissolving-grade pulp from textile waste for viscose and lyocell production, a direct analog to Circ's cellulose-recovery output. It is a co-member of the T2T Alliance with Circ and serves overlapping fashion brand customers.
• Samsara Eco: Samsara Eco uses enzymatic recycling to break down polyester and polycotton waste into monomers for infinite-loop fiber production. It is a direct T2T competitor to Circ and fellow T2T Alliance member pursuing fashion-brand offtake.
• Recover Brands: Recover produces recycled cotton fiber from textile waste and operates as a T2T Alliance member alongside Circ. It overlaps with Circ on cotton-rich feedstock and serves a similar brand base in circular fashion.
• Ambercycle: Ambercycle uses chemical recycling to convert textile waste into regenerated polyester fibers (cycora), competing directly with Circ's recycled polyester stream. It targets similar fashion brand customers seeking circular synthetics.
• Worn Again Technologies: Worn Again Technologies recycles polyester and cotton from textiles into PET pellets and cellulose, overlapping with Circ on both feedstock and outputs. It targets apparel brands seeking closed-loop recycled inputs.

Broad incumbents

• Eastman: Eastman is a large specialty chemicals company with polyester and chemical-recycling capabilities (including textile-to-textile polyester work via Naia Renew). It competes with Circ's polyester stream from a broader polymer portfolio.
• Lenzing AG: Lenzing is a global leader in man-made cellulosic fibers (TENCEL Lyocell, Modal, Viscose) and is both a Circ manufacturing partner and a broader incumbent in regenerated cellulose fibers, producing virgin and partially recycled alternatives to Circ Lyocell and Viscose.
• Birla Cellulose: Birla Cellulose (Aditya Birla Group) is one of the world's largest producers of man-made cellulosic fibers and a strategic Circ partner in India. It is comparable as a major incumbent in viscose/lyocell competing for the same regenerated-cellulose demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tytonbio
• Facebookfacebook.com/tytonbio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors18 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Circ