Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems, a UK-based company, has partnered with Danish innovator NewRetex to introduce an AI-powered, automated textile sorting system, aiming to transform the UK’s approach to non-reusable clothing. The move is part of Circle-8’s broader mission to create a scalable circular textile economy, where textile waste is repurposed as raw material for fibre-to-fibre recycling.
Currently, the UK discards over 700,000 tonnes of non-reusable textiles annually, with less than 1% being recycled into new textiles. With NewRetex’s stand-alone sorting line, capable of processing 25,000 tonnes per year, Circle-8 is setting up the country’s first industrial-scale infrastructure for automated sorting and pre-treatment of textile waste.
The advanced technology identifies garments by material type, color, and presence of hard parts like zippers and buttons. It also collects granular data—such as size and weight of items—which feeds into a connected ecosystem of pre-sorting, baling, and recycling systems, and will eventually link to Digital Product Passports for traceability.
Funded under Innovate UK’s ACT UK programme, this initiative reflects the UK’s push for sustainable innovation. Circle-8’s Co-founder Cyndi Rhoades praised NewRetex’s automation capabilities as vital to scaling recycling infrastructure. NewRetex CEO Rikke Bech also noted the project’s potential to expand textile recycling across Europe.
