general
what is cycora®?
cycora® is a first-of-its-kind regenerated polyester created entirely from textile ‘waste’. made by the Los Angeles-based materials science innovators at Ambercycle Inc., cycora® is a material ingredient for sustainability-driven clothing brands.
where can I buy a product made with cycora® material?
cycora® provides material excellence to products designed by our brand partners and our in-house design team. you can find products made with cycora® by searching ‘cycora’ on our brand partner websites, and available for purchase on our cycora®.lab page. to find out if a product is made with cycora, be sure to check the description of the product’s composition, or if buying in person, check for ‘made with cycora®’ on the product label or hang tag.
what is cycora® made of?
cycora® is created entirely from textile ‘waste’ that is regenerated into virgin-grade polyester. this includes ‘unusable’ material from every stage of textile production—like excess yarn or cutscraps that fall to the factory floor—and worn garments that have been discarded.
why polyester?
last year, a record 124 million tons of new textiles were produced. of that, virgin polyester was the most produced (and landfilled), accounting for 57% of total fiber production. yet, less than 1% of clothing is being recycled into new clothing today.
what are the benefits of cycora® material?
by turning textiles of the past into the clothing of the future, cycora® minimizes what goes to landfill while reducing reliance on our Earth’s raw resources. as the first material of its kind to unlock full circularity, cycora® can be continuously regenerated and made new.
technology
how is cycora® made?
cycora® is created using an advanced molecular regeneration technology that breaks down textile waste to its base molecules, then separates, purifies, and reconstitutes them into a virgin-grade raw material. for an in-depth breakdown, visit our technology page.
how is your process better for the environment?
production of cycora® requires 50% less CO₂ than production of virgin material. not only is its carbon footprint meaningfully lighter, but it offsets the need to extract new virgin material, as there is already enough in existence to be regenerated for generations to come. additionally, our molecular regeneration process operates in a closed-loop system, where we fully recover and reuse solvents, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
sustainability
is cycora® a sustainable material?
cycora® goes beyond sustainability—it is fully circular. meaning: its entire lifecycle is intentionally designed with systems that eliminate waste and keep resources in continuous use. our process is also designed to minimize environmental impact: producing cycora® generates about 50% less CO₂ than virgin polyester, and we operate a closed-loop system where the solvents used are recovered and recycled for continuous regeneration.
where do you get “waste” to make cycora® material?
we source textile ‘waste’ from every stage of the clothing lifecycle to maximize our impact. before a t-shirt is made, 25%-40% of its material is typically lost during production, due to excess material like cutscraps that fall to the factory floor.because waste happens at a massive scale, we collect globally—from many different sources. this includes clothing sent to donation sites, local businesses with large amounts of textile turnover (like restaurants), large government programs, and factories, where we recover from the large percentage of leftover textiles that have been traditionally deemed ‘useless’.
how is cycora® different from other recycled materials?
most recycled clothing today is made from single-use plastic water bottles. while this process diverts that plastic from wastestreams temporarily, it removes bottles from their own recycling streams. the process of turning bottles to fabric leads to a degradation in quality, meaning that the majority of this material cannot be recycled again. cycora®, conversely, is a scientific breakthrough that allows for continuous regeneration. instead of being made with plastic bottles or oil, cycora® is created using textiles that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. our unique process breaks down textile waste to its base molecules and reconstitutes them into a virgin-grade material—setting the new standard of quality for recycled materials, as validated by Ceti.
do you offer take-back?
while we are presently focused on collecting where we can have the greatest ecological impact, we are actively working with our brand partners and local organizations to realize our dream of a take-back program that allows our community to donate clothing. to stay in the loop on the evolution of our future take-back program, join the cycora® newsletter.