H&M and Kering to trial textile recycling technology

Swedish fashion chain H&M and luxury conglomerate Kering are teaming up
with British up-cycler Worn Again to tackle the fashion industries rising
demand for polyester filament and cotton fibre textiles with the trial of
Worn Again’s textile chemical recycling technology.

In 2014, the fashion industry used more than 65 million tonnes of
polyester filament and cotton fibre, and this is set to grow to an
estimated 90 million tonnes by 2020, and the partnership between the three
firms is to help reduce the need for extracting resources from the planet
as well as to address the growing issue of clothes-to-landfill.

According to Worn Again its new textile-to-textile chemical recycling
technology is the first of its kind to separate and extract polyester and
cotton from old or end-of-use clothing and textiles. Once separated, the
aim is for this unique process to enable the ‘recaptured’ polyester and
cellulose from cotton to be spun into new fabric creating a ‘circular
resource model’ for textiles.

H&M and Kering, via its sportswear brand Puma, have partnered with the
British start-up to help test the commercial viability of its recycling
model. Both companies will be converting the reclaimed raw materials into
yarn, developing fabric and creating garments, to demonstrate that the
technology may be commercially viable, and will provide an effective
solution for the circular recycling of clothes and textiles.

Anna Gedda, head of sustainability at H&M, said: “We are excited to be
part of this project together with Kering and Worn Again. In the long-run
this can change the way fashion is made and massively reduce the need for
extracting virgin resources from our planet. Furthermore, it brings us
closer to our goal of creating fashion in a circular model.”

Click Here: Spain Football Shop

Marie-Claire Daveu, chief sustainability officer and head of
international institutional affairs at Kering, added: “Innovation is what
we need to solve our global environmental challenges. Our collaboration
with H&M and Worn Again is a great example of this, demonstrating how we
can design and deliver a solution that will be fundamental in eradicating
textile waste while simultaneously offering a new type of sustainable raw
material for our Sport & Lifestyle brands.”