Participated · Equity · Jan 2021

Circ is a Danville, Virginia-based textile recycler that has developed patented technology to recycle global fashion waste back into textiles. The company says its process reduces the need for petroleum, trees, and other materials used to manufacture clothes. Its technology is currently used by Patagonia, Marubeni, and Fashion For Good. Circ aims to recycle 10 billion garments, representing 10% of the global apparel market, which it says will save more than 100 million trees. The company will use new funding to expand its manufacturing efforts and packaging partnerships. Circ is led by CEO Peter Majeranowski. Circ develops a proprietary chemical recycling process that extracts raw materials from discarded cotton and polyester, including cotton‑polyester blends. Its process uses subcritical water heated to 105–190°C at elevated pressure (40–300 psi) with a chemical catalyst such as sodium hydroxide to break polymer bonds and produce cellulose or terephthalic acid (TPA). Circ's patents state the method can use fewer chemical catalysts, making it cheaper and less environmentally taxing than some alternatives. The company began as a biofuels business processing tobacco waste but pivoted to textiles after industry demand. Circ says the new funding will help secure suppliers and purchasers as it scales, with the aim of making recycled garments accessible to everyday shoppers. Financially, the company previously raised $8 million in a round led by Tin Shed Ventures and has announced a $30 million Series B led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Circ has developed a chemical/hydrothermal process that can separate and recover both polyester and cotton from polyester–cotton blends while keeping fiber integrity intact. Founders Peter Majeranowski and Conor Hartman adapted the approach from earlier biofuels work (the company traces roots to Tyton BioScience) and have spent roughly a decade refining the technology. The process can handle small amounts of spandex (typically under 5 percent) and yields high-quality cotton cellulose that the team says can replace tree pulp for cellulosic fibers. Circ plans to introduce textiles made with its recycled fibers later this year, working with contract manufacturers and a facility in Danville, VA. The company raised $8 million from Patagonia, Marubeni, Alante Capital and Card Sound Capital to put the technology to work. Circ aims to scale impact—targeting recycling 10 billion garments by 2030—and positions its solution as one of several chemical-recycling approaches needed to address global textile waste and microplastics challenges.