Enabling Synthetic Textiles to Biodegrade

Nature, Climate
Nature Positive Materials

ciclotextiles.com/

CiCLO® technology is tackling one of fashion’s most urgent challenges: microplastic pollution from synthetic textiles. Polyester and nylon, which account for around 60% of global textile production, shed tiny fibres throughout manufacturing, wear, and washing. These synthetic microfibers are now the most prevalent form of microplastic pollution, with an estimated volume entering oceans each year equivalent in weight to more than 50 billion plastic bottles. Once released, they are too small to recover.

CiCLO® technology embeds an advanced, patented additive into polyester and nylon at the molecular level, enabling them to biodegrade in environments such as soil and oceans. Third-party scientific lab studies have shown CiCLO-treated fibres completely biodegrade in under 4 years, while conventional fibres remain intact. Importantly, the fibres remain durable during use and recyclable at end of life, ensuring compatibility with existing manufacturing and circularity systems.

Scaled, cost-effective, and fully traceable, CiCLO® fibres and yarns are already used globally by major retailers and brands including Target, Walmart and Champion. The technology is produced by Intrinsic Advanced Materials (IAM), a joint venture between Silicon Valley-based Intrinsic Textiles Group and Parkdale Advanced Materials, the innovation arm of the largest yarn manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere.