Accelerating Circularity, a new apparel industry collaborative project has announced the addition of two new U.S. Steering Committee members, Milliken & Company and Eastman.

The Steering Committee is in charge of the project's strategy and direction in the United States. Gap Inc., Giotex, Gr3n, Lenzing, Nike, Target, VF Corp., and Unifi are among the current members. As the project progresses into the trial phase, the new members, who have both invested in and committed to the transition to circular, textile-to-textile supply networks, will support a broader choice of chemical recycling options and textile production capabilities.

Eastman’s General Manager for Textiles, Jon Woods, said that with Eastman Naia™ Renew cellulosic fiber, they are committed to making sustainable textiles available to all. They’re thrilled to be a part of Accelerating Circularity, and they regard this partnership as critical to developing and scaling up the recycling infrastructure required to realize a circular textiles industry.

Chad McAllister, president of, Textile Division and executive vice president, Milliken & Company, said that they have invested in the ability to investigate novel materials through their Rapid Prototype Center. It's ideal for proving the viability of new circular feedstocks before scaling up to commercial production. They can interact with a wide spectrum of industry stakeholders who have similar interests by joining Accelerating Circularity.

Through extensive interaction with collectors, sorters, preprocessors, recyclers, yarn spinners, fabric mills, and brands and merchants, potential circular system trial feedstocks, fibers, technologies, and completed commodities have been identified. Targeted trial feedstocks collection, sorting, and preprocessing will begin September 1, 2021.