Yibin Grace, a CanopyStyle ‘Green Shirt’ listed supplier of viscose filament yarn and staple fiber based in Shanghai, has reported the successful testing of its highest recycled content man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) fiber produced to date.
Previously, Yibin Grace worked with the trading firm Ekman and Renewcell to produce a recycled cellulose filament yarn that was combined with 70% FSC-certified fiber and 30% circulose recycled pulp.
With the successful testing of its new viscose staple fiber manufactured with 50% recycled material, dubbed Circulose, the company is now growing its Re-Gracell brand. It has also confirmed plans to raise the percentage of recycled content in its filament yarn offering to 50%.
Yibin Grace’s chairman, Deng Min, stated that the company hoped to commercialize the 50% blend by the end of 2023.
We are thrilled to work even more closely with Renewcell and to be developing a multipurpose staple fiber with a high recycled content that will help protect old-growth and vulnerable forests, the executive stated. “Yibin Grace is committed to collaborating with Canopy and leaders in the field, such as Renewcell, to make sure our product is as environmentally friendly as possible.”
Yibin Grace is establishing a new standard for the commercial production of low-carbon MMCF textiles with their close-to-market product made with a minimum of 50% content, and has established itself as a rising star in the production of low-carbon textiles, said Nicole Rycroft, executive director of Canopy.
We respect their leadership in the shift to circular manufacturing and their ongoing commitment to creating high-quality products that rely less on high-carbon, virgin forest inputs.
According to Canopy’s most recent statistics, more than 300 million trees are felled annually for the production of fabrics like rayon and viscose, many of which are sourced from the world’s most vital forests for the planet’s biodiversity and climate.
According to Canopy, next-generation solutions like circulose are created to use a low-carbon alternative input like discarded textiles that would otherwise go to waste. These sustainable alternatives to conventional wood fiber have about a five-fold lower impact on biodiversity, 95-1300% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, 88-100% fewer land uses, and 4 tonnes less CO2/tonne of product than conventional wood fiber.
