Danville, Va.-based polycotton recycling innovator Circ is expanding its operations and launching its first commercial-scale facility in France.
The group announced Monday that construction on the 450-million-euro facility, to be located in Saint-Avold, will begin in 2026, with operations targeted to commence in 2028. According to Circ, the plant, which will recycle post-consumer and post-industrial polycotton textile waste into new materials, will employ 200 individuals through direct and indirect jobs.
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Once operations have ramped up, the facility will be able to recycle 70,000 metric tons of blended textiles each year, Circ estimates. The project was first announced by French President Emmanuel Macron’s administration at the 2025 Choose France Summit, an annual economic development conference.
The effort is backed by national, regional and European Union incentives and supported by engineering partners including Worley, GEA, and Andritz. In a statement, Circ said the French outpost was conceived as a commercial flagship precipitating future global expansion.
“This is the moment we’ve been building toward since Circ was founded,” Peter Majeranowski, the firm’s president, said Monday.
“Our first full-scale facility will push circular fashion over the critical tipping point in the global economy, proving that the future of textiles can be decarbonized, closer to waste-free, and regenerative by design,” he added. “It’s not just a major milestone for Circ, but a breakthrough for the entire circular economy at a time when the planet urgently needs scalable climate solutions.”
According to the executive, France was an attractive location for Circ’s first full-scale plant because of its existing industrial base as well as its progressive circularity policymaking. The country has demonstrated a commitment to sustainable innovation and has a deep heritage in fashion. The Saint-Avold region is strategically located and boasts a skilled workforce and mature logistics infrastructure.
Over the course of the coming years, Circ said it plans to model additional facilities—likely located in North America and Asia—after this preliminary project.
The company’s patented hydrothermal technology separates and recovers polyester and cotton from blended textiles, which make up 77 percent of the global textile market.
Last month, Circ entered into a strategic agreement with longtime partner Acegreen Eco-Material Technology Co., a producer of cellulose filament products. The Taiwanese firm committed to purchase Circ’s recycled pulp over the course of five years to produce lyocell fibers that apparel brands can integrate into their existing supply chains. Acegreen’s parent company, Acelon, also committed to buy Circ’s recycled polyester to support the production of filament fibers over the same five-year period.
Earlier this year, the advanced recycler secured $25-million in oversubscribed funding, led by asset management company Taranis and its Carbon Ventures fund. Circ also received continued support from existing strategic investors Inditex and global materials science firm Avery Dennison.
