Texloop and Agraloop Products Demonstrate Early Success in Adopting Standard for Fibers and Yarns

DUBLIN, NY, IRELAND, December 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- During the 2021 annual Textile Exchange global conference held in collaboration with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Circular Systems facilitated a critical dialogue among fashion industry leaders, including representatives from H&M, ASOS, Madewell and Pangaia, focused on establishing a new standard for using crop residues in fibers and yarns. The new standard—known as the Crop Residue Standard—will enable brands to understand the differences between residue types—co-products, byproducts, and redefine the meaning of agricultural waste for the fashion industry.

Crop residues account for more than half of the total plant biomass produced globally as a part of our food systems. These residues are commonly removed through burning, releasing air pollutants that negatively impact human health, natural ecosystems, and crop growth. The Crop Residue Standard allows companies to mitigate many of the unintended consequences of removing crop residues, such as depletion of soil nutrients, exclusion from local uses, and overproduction and crop expansion, especially for small-holder farmers who lack a high level of transparency into the processes.

The session introduced the case for integrating the Corp Residue Standard with the Textile Exchange’s Content Claim Standard (CCS), an important chain of custody standard for the industry. This would be the first time that the CCS might be used outside the Textile Exchange certification portfolio and the conference provided an opportunity for key industry stakeholders to provide their feedback. Circular Systems will pilot the Crop Residue Standard and verification process to its own supply chain with the goal of rolling it out to the industry at-large in 2022.

“Together, Circular Systems and other industry stakeholders will continue an open dialogue to improve and refine the Crop Residue Standard,” said Scott Leonard, Circular Systems’ Chief Sustainability Officer. “We’re already implementing the Standard in our own supply chains and are thrilled so many brands have committed to following our lead. We will continue to collaborate to creatively repurpose and reuse crop parts that are traditionally burned and wasted in an effort to reach our sustainability and 45% GHG reduction goals by 2030.”

“The Crop Residue Standard facilitates the harvesting and collection of crop residues while mitigating the unintended consequences from its removal from fields” said Neil Mendenhall from SCS Consulting Services, Crop Residue Standard development partner of Circular Systems. “We reviewed similar standards and research across other industries to understand best practices and facilitate product traceability. Through these efforts, we have created the first draft as an inclusive standard for fashion industry stakeholders that aims to provide the maximum benefits to farmers while reducing negative disruptions in existing socio-economic and environmental conditions.”

He continued, “Our objective was to create a standard that was approachable and cost-effective for small-scale farmers to encourage their participation by reducing the most common barriers to certification. In addition, as the demand for crop residue grows, and their price increases, the standard is designed to increase the level and breadth of ESG requirements.”

Circular Systems is modeling an important component of a net-positive way forward for the fashion industry and the planet by applying the Crop Residue Standard to their own Texloop™ and Agraloop™ yarn products. The Agraloop technology refines fibre bundles from leftover oilseed hemp, oilseed flax, and now CBD crop residues. Circular Systems also intends to recycle the wastewater generated during fibre refining to create beneficial soil amendments that can go back to the farm. Agraloop Dry Refined and Refined+ products reduce water use, supports regenerative farming, cleans the soil and helps to protect the land, water and air among other benefits.

In addition, Texloop yarn products, developed by reclaiming natural and synthetic fibers from textile waste, have saved 1.2+ billion liters of water since launch, which equates to 635+ million days of drinking water saved. By choosing organic and recycled fibres, this process reduced harmful pesticides and emissions, avoiding use of nearly 445,000 kgs CO2e of emissions and over 1,200kgs of fertilizer. In partnership with global commercial brands like H&M and Converse and influential fashion brands Madewell, Arket, and Girlfriend Collective, Texloop yarn and fabrics has established itself as the premium recycled cotton brand.

“With partners like Circular Systems, we are able to collaborate in the creation of groundbreaking new technology. Their new crop residue standards, which is an industry first, aided in the enormous opportunity to scale and make a positive impact. Most recently we launched products using the Agraloop technology that turns crop residue waste into fiber, creating a circular product we know our community is passionate about.” shared Liz Hershfield, Senior Vice President & Head of Sustainability for J Crew Group, Senior Vice President of Sourcing for Madewell.

By aligning the Crop Residue Standard with the Textile Exchange’s Content Claim Standard (CCS), Circular Systems will help enable downstream traceability of materials and product claims and support the fashion industry's goal of reducing 45% of greenhouse gas emissions from textile fiber and material production by 2030.

About Circular Systems
Circular Systems™ is a materials science company providing fibers that are focused on creating a net positive impact on our environment, society, and economy through innovation. Our circular plus technologies provide systemic solutions for transforming waste into valuable fiber, yarn, and fabrics for the fashion industry.

For more information visit: https://circularsystems.com/

Contact: Anne McPherson (mcpherson.anne@gmail.com; 1-917-531-4050)

Anne McPherson
ACM Communications
+1 917-531-4050
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