SPOTLIGHT
A Second Life for Textile Waste
UpCycle Fiber turns North Carolina’s discarded textiles into code-ready building insulation, diverting landfill waste while growing a local circular economy.
Jennifer Germaine
TRANSITION PATHWAY
Circular Materials & Industry
ORGANIZATION
UpCycle Fiber Inc. transforms post-consumer textile waste into high-performance recycled fibers for use in insulation, packaging, filtration, and other industrial applications. By converting materials that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated into consistent, engineered inputs, the company provides cost-competitive alternatives to virgin fibers while strengthening domestic supply chains. Our mission is to accelerate a circular textile economy by reducing waste and embodied carbon through scalable, locally manufactured materials.
COUNTIES
Burke County, Guilford County
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“Did you sit in the chair?” I peer through the crowd of people to see a low-profile chair and ottoman sitting in the center of a packed booth at the Textile Recycling Expo. “It is ridiculously comfy, made fully from recycled textiles, and requires no other support systems like wood or metal to maintain its shape. Sit in it!” I’m ushered through the crowd to sit in the chair and swing my legs up to the ottoman. I have to admit - it is an exceptionally comfy chair.
The booth belongs to UpCycle Fiber, a company that is taking recycled textiles and turning them into furniture, building insulation, acoustic panels and auto fibers. The materials they use typically go to a landfill, and UpCycle Fiber is giving them a second life. And not just any second life - a second life that looks to maximize the value of what’s possible for these recycled textiles.
There is a staggering amount of textile waste. Annually, there are 134 million tons of textile waste in the world and 15.4 million tons just in the United States. That is a rate of 2-3,000 garments discarded per second.
I was first introduced to UpCycle Fiber through Resilient Futures Co-Lab’s initial grant cycle at the beginning of 2026. They applied and received grant funding to support the testing and certifications required to make recycled textile insulation code-compliant and market ready. The batt insulation they are designing acts as a direct alternative to fiberglass. These evaluations are essential to help them demonstrate safety, durability, and performance comparable to conventional insulation and to meet building codes and architectural specifications. Passing them will enable certification, specification by architects, acceptance by contractors, and approval by building officials—unlocking market entry for a locally manufactured, recycled alternative.
This initiative strengthens the regional economy by creating a local, circular supply chain that converts post-consumer clothing into essential building materials. By sourcing discarded textiles from regional collection networks and processing them domestically, it reduces landfill burden, stabilizes material costs, and keeps economic value within the region. The project supports affordable, energy-efficient housing by providing safe, low-impact insulation that can lower utility costs and improve indoor comfort and health. It also creates skilled manufacturing jobs and new end-markets for textile recovery partners, enhancing economic security across multiple sectors. By reducing dependence on imported virgin materials and mitigating volatile supply chains, the initiative builds long-term resilience for both the construction and textile industries while advancing regional climate and waste-reduction goals.
Our team at Resilient Futures Co-Lab looks forward to continuing the relationship with UpCycle Fiber and the entire textile recycling industry in North Carolina. With all of us working together, we can continue to bolster North Carolina as the epicenter of textile recycling for the United States.