Marks & Spencer, New Look and Sainsbury’s are joining forces with Oxfam and Circle-8 to launch The Circuit, a new initiative aimed at addressing the growing amount of textile waste in the U.K. The project will focus on improving textile collection and processing and turning used textiles into new raw materials.

Circle-8 said The Circuit will bring together retailers, textile recovery organisations, recyclers and manufacturers to develop the infrastructure and business models needed to convert more end-of-use textiles into new raw materials.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to begin in January 2027 at Oxfam’s facility in Batley, Yorkshire. The participating organisations will test automated textile sorting, traceability systems and different routes for textile-to-textile recycling.

The partnership aims to develop both mechanical and chemical recycling methods that can convert post-consumer textiles generated in the U.K. into raw materials for textile manufacturing in regional and international markets.