The Challenge

Each year, about 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced worldwide (UNEP, 2025). Every second, the equivalent of a full garbage truck of textiles is either landfilled or burned, with as much as 85% ending up in landfill rather than being reused or recycled (UNRIC, 2024). Less than half of used garments are collected for reuse or recycling, and of those, only around 1% are recycled into new clothing items (European Parliament 2025).

The global fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of total carbon emissions - more than the emissions from both aviation and shipping combined (World Economic Forum 2020). In 2023, apparel sector emissions grew by 7.5% to 944 million tonnes. The increase in emissions from the sector is largely driven by higher production fuelled by ultra-fast fashion trends and a rising dependence on virgin polyester (Apparel Impact Institute 2025).

Polyester, a synthetic fibre introduced in the 1940s, is derived from fossil fuels and currently accounts for 57% of global fibre production. (Apparel Impact Institute 2025). Polyester's widespread use has led to serious environmental impacts, including persistent pollution from microplastic fibres, which shed during washing and accumulate in oceans and ecosystems. This reliance on a petroleum-based material underscores the urgent need for sustainable alternatives in textile manufacturing (UNRIC, 2024).

A Circular Solution

Ambercycle is a company that transforms textile waste into high-quality regenerated polyester using advanced molecular regeneration technology (Ambercycle, 2025).

Their flagship product, Cycora, is a regenerated polyester yarn and fabric created from post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste (Cycora 2025). Using chemistry to break down mixed fibres at the molecular level, Ambercycle extracts and purifies polyester to create new materials that match or exceed the quality and performance of virgin polyester. This innovative process allows repeated recycling without degradation in quality, significantly reducing dependency on virgin fossil-fuel-based polyester and lowering carbon emissions linked to textile production (Ambercycle, 2025).

By partnering with leading brands like REI, GANNI, and Arc’teryx, Ambercycle is scaling Cycora to promote circularity and sustainability in the fashion industry (Ambercycle, 2025).

Ambercycle’s technology starts by shredding used textiles, separating polyester from other fibres such as cotton, nylon, and spandex (Lampoon Magazine, 2025). The polyester is then liquefied, purified to remove dyes and additives, and solidified into pellets that can be spun into new yarns (Ambercycle, 2025). This process operates at relatively low temperatures, contributing to a reduction in CO₂ emissions. According to Ambercycle, Cycora offsets nearly half the carbon dioxide emissions of virgin polyester production (Ambercycle, 2025). Independent testing by the European Center for Innovative Textiles (CETI) shows Cycora meets the standards of virgin polyester, making it a commercially viable and environmentally friendlier alternative (Ambercycle, 2025). Adoption of Ambercycle’s technology across the apparel sector could reduce global emissions by over 15%, exemplifying a practical path to textile circularity and decarbonization (Ambercycle, 2025).

Climate Impact

Production of Cycora results in half the greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional polyester, offering a major reduction in climate impact production (Ambercycle, 2025). Each tonne of fabric recycled through this process is a tonne diverted from landfill - a critical intervention to address the 92 million tonnes of textile waste created annually. Because Cycora retains the quality needed for reuse, it supports resource efficiency and extends the usable lifespan of textile materials.

Brand partnerships are helping Cycora scale up and demonstrate real-world impact. For example, Inditex (the parent company of Zara) has agreed to purchase over €70 million worth of Cycora material, supporting its 2030 target to use exclusively sustainable textile inputs across all products. Large-scale commitments from market leaders like Inditex signal an industry shift towards circular solutions and highlight the practical viability of advanced textile recycling technologies.

Replicability

Cycora is part of a broader trend where technology companies are transforming textile waste into new, high-quality materials.

• Worn Again Technologies recycles textiles into raw materials by isolating and purifying cellulose and polyester, which are then spun into new fibres.

• Renewcell's Circulose process recycles cotton textiles into biodegradable pulp, which can be remanufactured into fibres for the fashion industry.

  
  

• Evrnu’s NuCycl technology turns used textiles into high-performance fibres by breaking down and regenerating textile polymers.

  
  

These innovations are making textile-to-textile recycling increasingly replicable and scalable, encouraging adoption across the industry.