Saxion cellulose (SaXcell)

Saxion cellulose (SaXcell) is a Netherlands-based company that produces cellulose fiber from chemically recycled domestic cotton waste.

SaXcell production begins with the sorting of domestic cotton textile waste into a well-defined waste stream, either by hand or with Identitex (a technology under development). This waste stream is then processed to remove non-textile components, resulting in a dry blend of textile fibers. The mixture is chemically decolored and processed through wet spinning to produce SaXcell.

In April 2020, the company set up its pilot production plant with a daily production capacity of 100 kgs of fiber pulp, and over the next two years, the plant aimed to produce more than 50 tons of new cellulose fiber pulp from old cotton fibers. 

As of September 2023, the company had secured two patents. 

Key customers and partnerships

In 2016, SaXcell partnered with RIETER, a leading supplier of short-staple fiber spinning systems, to test SaXcell fibers on modern spinning machines. Preliminary tests showed that SaXcell fibers are capable of producing 100% regenerated cotton-based, ring-spun cellulosic yarn with a fineness of at least Ne 40 (English cotton count) (Nm 68; metric yarn count) without optimization. 

Over 2017–2019, the company worked on a project called "From Workwear To Workwear," where old workwear is collected and recycled into the SaXcell fiber, which is then used to produce new workwear. For this project, the company closely worked with partners from the industry including Artofil, Frankenhuis, Havep, Johan van den Acker, and Lavans.

In February 2023, SaXcell joined the EURATEX-led RegioGreenTex project, which brings together 43 partners from 11 European regions to support innovative textile waste-recycling solutions at the SME level and maintain and develop jobs in the EU textile sector.

In November 2023, partnered with Birla Cellulose, a provider of regenerated cellulosic artificial viscose fibers to expand production of recycled man-made cellulosic fibers.