As it currently stands, there are no reported plans to return the funding which totalled approximately £1.6 million – the highest amount awarded to any of the applicants.
There have also not been any publicly confirmed next steps for the project, but the textiles company has confirmed that it will continue to work towards the aims of the grant.
A spokesperson from Circle-8 told letsrecycle.com: “Our activities remain focused on delivering the same intended outcomes.
“As with capital-intensive projects in challenging market conditions, timelines continue to be kept under review to ensure long-term success.”
ACT UK, a two-year funding initiative between Innovate UK and the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), awarded the funding to Circle-8 to establish automated textile sorting and pre-processing plants (ATSP) to process non-reusable textiles into feedstock for recycling.
A significant portion of this went towards the purchase of an automated sorting line from Danish technology company NewRetex.
Although the two companies had originally signed a non-compete, it is understood that NewRetex is now exploring options to supply to the UK.
The second-hand textiles market has faced extremely constrained market conditions in the last few years, with demand dwindling and supply increasing significantly.
The industry has advocated extensively for an Extended Producer Responsibility system for textiles (tEPR).
The policy was expected to be announced as part of the Circular Economy Growth Plan, which has been delayed to an unknown date.
Automated textiles sorting line
The cancelled sorting line would have had the ability to sort via material composition, colour and the presence of hard parts such as buttons and zippers.
The AI-driven technology would also have featured software which is able to collect data including weight and fibre composition for each piece.
When the line was originally purchased, Cyndi Rhoades, co-founder and CEO of Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems, said: “We are extremely impressed by the approach NewRetex has taken with the development of this automated textiles sorting line.
“It will enable a significant advance in the transition from manual to automated sorting of non-reusable textiles, laying the groundwork to support the scale up of fibre-to-fibre recycling plants for textiles and other recycling processes in the UK.”
Rhoades was formerly the Founder-CEO of textiles chemical recycling company Worn Again Technologies, where she worked for over 20 years.
Register for free to comment