MAS is the first apparel manufacturer to establish an offtake with Ambercycle in its efforts to commercialise circular polyester and reduce the volume of virgin polyester entering the apparel supply chain.
The deal allows MAS to reserve capacity to use Ambercycle’s cycora material for its customer partners, enabling the recycled fibre producer to scale its production as quickly as possible.
In February (2024), the European Centre for Innovative Textiles in France recognised cycora as a circular alternative, which still meets the spinnability standards of virgin materials and outperforms other recycled materials.
The deal is part of MAS’ wider ambition to create more sustainable products by - its 'Plan for Change', specifically its key objective to source half of its revenue from sustainable products by 2025.
MAS’ director of group sustainable business Nemanthie Kooragamage said: “We're committed to revolutionising apparel product creation and manufacturing, and this collaboration is an important milestone for the industry to achieve circularity at scale.
“Together with Ambercycle, MAS is enabling better access to regenerated next-gen material for our customer partners. This allows brands to meet the growing demand from consumers for sustainable apparel, while creating a positive environmental impact. The partnership is an example of how manufacturers are a missing link in the adoption of material solutions, and we are excited to have the opportunity to offer Ambercycle’s technology up for brand adoption.”
Ambercycle’s co-founder and CEO Shay Sethi added: “Supply-chain partners play a crucial role in advancing our work to decarbonise fashion and minimise the impact of raw-material extraction on our environment.
"We’re pleased to share our work with MAS as one of the premier manufacturing partners in the global apparel ecosystem. Together we share a strong commitment to diverting textiles from landfills and pioneering circularity at scale.”
In 2023, Drive Catalyst, the venture capital arm of the Far Eastern Group, invested $5m in Ambercycle, aiming to scale textile-to-textile regeneration in the apparel industry.
