Fast fashion brand Zara, part of the Inditex group, and Circ, a circular fashion company, are launching a joint collection dedicated to “one of the biggest challenges in the fashion industry”: the separation of polyester and cotton fiber blends.
Circ is the only company that successfully separates textile waste from polyester and cotton fibers, so-called polycotten, and recovers both cellulosic and synthetic fibers, Inditex said on Monday. The technology separates the different fibers and recovers new, recycled raw material. Together, the two companies applied the technology to create a collection of garments made from 50 percent lyocell and 43 percent polyester from recycled polycotton fabric waste.
In July 2022, the Spanish group invested in the circular start-up to drive “change across the fashion industry”. It was the first investment by the group’s Sustainability Innovation Hub.
“This unique collection demonstrates that innovation in new fibers and collaboration with specialized experts are two important pillars to drive the circular economy in the textile industry,” said Javier Losada, Chief Sustainability Officer of Inditex. “Circ’s technology enables the effective separation and recycling of poly-cotton blends, which are among the most common textile blends in apparel.”
The women’s fashion collection has been available in eleven Zara stores since April 17.