SaXcell, the Overijssel-based company converting textile waste into new fibres, has raised €4M of a planned €5M investment from Turkish shareholders Modeco Textile, Uğurlular Tekstil, and Selin Tekstil.
The funding will support the construction of a production plant and pulp development centre in Enschede, Netherlands.
Scaling circular textiles
Founded in 2011, the firm produces regenerated cellulose fibre from discarded cotton textiles. The closed-loop recycling process dissolves used fabrics, recycles water and chemicals, and transforms the pulp into fibres via lyocell wet spinning in collaboration with Birla Cellulose.
The process requires only 10 litres of water per kilogram of fibre, compared to at least 2,000 litres for conventional cotton, and reduces the need for dyes.
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The recycling process
- Textiles with ≥90% cotton content are collected and sorted.
- Non-fibre elements (zippers, buttons) are removed, while polyester, elastane, and colours are extracted using recyclable chemicals.
- Resulting SaXcell pulp is processed into cellulose fibres.
- Fibres, currently containing 30% SaXcell pulp, are spun into yarns for garments and household textiles, with plans to increase to 100% SaXcell pulp.
Brands and retailers use the fibres to lower environmental impact, while consumers are encouraged to return textiles for recycling through collection points and donation bins.
Driving sustainable fashion
The new investment enables the company to scale its circular fibre production and further its mission of reducing the textile industry’s heavy reliance on water, chemicals, and virgin cotton.
