Supply chain company for post-consumer textiles is launched

Claras Materials LLC, Charlotte, N.C., has launched as a specialized supply chain company focused on post-consumer textile raw materials for the global chemical recycling and fiber-to-fiber industries. The company said it was created to address a key challenge facing the textile recycling sector: securing consistent, sorted and processing-ready feedstock at commercial scale.

“The technology to recycle post-consumer textiles at scale exists. What’s missing is a reliable supply,” said Patrick Mullen, founder and CEO of Claras Materials. Mullen specializes in cotton and polyester-cotton textile recycling and sourcing.

According to the company, its model begins with the strategic sourcing of post-consumer textiles from global used-clothing markets, optimizing material streams by fiber composition before processing. Feedstock is then sorted using near-infrared technology, with clean single-fiber bales prepared for recycling partners worldwide.

Output streams include 100 percent polyester, cotton, wool, nylon and polypropylene, along with poly-cotton blends and mixed fibers for mechanical reprocessing.

The company said its processing operations will be announced at a later date and that it anticipates beginning commercial operations in 2027.