As textile waste escalates and regeneration pathways remain limited, new circular materials are beginning to influence discussions around scale and feasibility. A newly introduced fibre offers a mechanical route that avoids additional chemical processing and broadens application potential. Here, Manmohan Singh, Chief Marketing Officer at Birla Cellulose, details the technology, ecosystem alignment, and market readiness informing this development.

 A bold claim: You’ve called Liva Reviva M “the future of fashion itself.” What makes this fibre fundamentally different from earlier sustainability efforts — including your own viscose-based innovations — and what was the toughest barrier in bringing a mechanically recycled cellulosic fibre to market?
Manmohan Singh: Liva Reviva M expands Birla Cellulose’s circular portfolio by introducing mechanical textile-to-textile recycling into mainstream man-made cellulosic fibres. Unlike chemical recycling, this route repositions blended post-consumer waste into high-quality products like denim, towels, and home textiles—without additional water or chemicals. The toughest challenge lay in achieving uniformity and performance at scale while maintaining the premium fibre qualities expected by brands.

The press release talks about “rewiring the very DNA of how fashion is made, worn, and reborn.” Could you take us inside that process — how does post-consumer textile waste actually become a high-performance fibre, and what scale of transformation are we looking at?
Manmohan Singh: Post-consumer textile waste is shredded and mechanically processed into a uniform blend that can be spun as Liva Reviva M. The process avoids extra water or chemical use and consumes lower energy. The result: a uniform fibre compatible with OE spinning, designed for 100% use or blends with organic cotton, rPET, or dope-dyed fibre—enabling true circular scalability.

Mechanically recycled fibres often face concerns around consistency, hand-feel, and durability. How have you ensured that Liva Reviva M retains the premium qualities expected by brands while still incorporating up to 50 per cent waste content?
Manmohan Singh: By creating a consistent, uniform blend at the fibre stage rather than the fabric stage. This engineering ensures smooth processing and retains the softness, strength, and premium hand-feel of traditional MMCFs, even with up to 50% recycled content.

Circular fashion sounds ideal in theory, but the collection and segregation of textile waste in India remain rudimentary. How are you closing that loop on the ground—are you partnering with recyclers, brands, or municipalities to ensure a steady, traceable waste stream?
Manmohan Singh: We’re building partnerships across the ecosystem — with recyclers, innovators, and brands — to secure traceable waste streams. Circularity only works when collaboration spans from collection to conversion, and that’s the ecosystem we’re strengthening.

Many companies are experimenting with chemical recycling, while you’ve opted for a mechanical route here. What guided that choice, and what trade-offs come with it in terms of scalability, cost, and environmental footprint?
Manmohan Singh: Both routes have a role to play. Mechanical recycling is resource-efficient and ideal for certain waste streams; chemical recycling is more suited to fibre purification. Reviva M complements our chemical solutions, offering brands a scalable, low-impact pathway to circular products.

Circular Fibre Basics	Scale and Ecosystem
Liva Reviva M is produced through mechanical recycling, offering a circular cellulosic option that avoids additional water, chemical inputs, and excessive processing energy.	Birla Cellulose has partnered with recyclers and innovators to secure steady, traceable waste streams suitable for industrial-scale fibre production.
It incorporates post-consumer textile waste, diverting discarded garments from low-value disposal toward higher-quality material reuse across categories.	Certification through GRS and FSC strengthens transparency, giving brands clearer visibility of material provenance and processing standards.
The fibre supports OE spinning, enabling direct integration into existing industrial yarn systems without technical adjustments.	Mechanical recycling is positioned as a resource-efficient complement to chemical routes, supporting diversified pathways for circular fibre creation.
It can be used at 100% or in blends, widening suitability for denim, terry, knitwear, and home-textile applications.	Early adoption has emerged in denim, terry, and home textiles, demonstrating the fibre’s ability to meet varied performance expectations.
Engineering work ensures uniform fibre quality, addressing concerns around inconsistency often associated with mechanically recycled feedstock.	Broader interest in circular supply models has encouraged expansion of capacity and deepened collaboration across the textile ecosystem.

Certification often becomes the fine print of credibility. You’ve cited GRS and FSC credentials—how important is third-party validation to convincing brands and consumers that this isn’t just another “green” label?
Manmohan Singh: Certifications are critical for credibility. They help brands and consumers distinguish genuine progress from greenwashing and ensure transparency and traceability throughout the value chain.

From premium denims to knits, you mention industry frontrunners already adopting Liva Reviva M. Could you share examples or insights from early collaborations — and what kind of demand signals are you seeing from international fashion houses versus Indian brands?
Manmohan Singh: We’re seeing strong adoption in denim, terry, and home-textile categories. Both Indian and global brands are exploring 100% Reviva M and blended options. Collaborations with innovators like Circ, Circulose, and SaxCell further strengthen our scaling efforts.

The UN estimates 92 million tonnes of textile waste a year, with a 45 per cent rise projected. In the face of such staggering numbers, what role can one fibre realistically play — and how does Birla Cellulose plan to push the needle beyond symbolic innovation?
Manmohan Singh: One fibre alone can’t solve it — but Liva Reviva M represents a scalable piece of the puzzle. It’s about proving that textile-to-textile recycling can work commercially and serve as a foundation for broader systemic change.

You’ve long positioned Birla Cellulose as an “environment-first pioneer.” Yet scaling circular solutions often collides with market realities of price and supply. How do you balance environmental ambition with the commercial imperatives of a global fibre business?
Manmohan Singh: We balance ambition with scalability — by developing certified, process-friendly fibres that meet commercial and environmental goals. Our circular products are engineered to perform like virgin fibre while offering traceability and reduced impact.

Looking ahead, what does the next chapter of “circular disruption” look like for Birla Cellulose? Could Liva Reviva M be the beginning of a larger portfolio of fibres made from waste, or even a rethink of how the industry defines “new” material itself?
Manmohan Singh: Liva Reviva M is just the beginning. We’re expanding capacity and collaborating with innovators to create a full portfolio of fibres made from waste. The goal is to redefine what ‘new’ means in fashion — where waste becomes raw material, and circularity becomes standard.

Source: https://texfash.com