The clothing supplier Bonprix, which belongs to the Hamburg retail and service group Otto Group, is launching its first recycling-oriented collection.
The ‘Circular Collection’ is geared towards recyclability and longevity, Bonprix announced on Thursday. The clothing supplier is based on the criteria of the Berlin company Circular Fashion, which supports its partners throughout the supply chain in offering more sustainable and circular clothing.
“Reaching the recyclability of consumer goods is a central economic, social and political task – and challenges us in the textile industry in particular,” said Stefanie Sumfleth, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Technical Product at Bonprix.
To this end, Bonprix, in cooperation with Circular Fashion, has expanded the existing processes and principles by three criteria: The materials must be made from “healthy, renewable and/or recycled raw materials”, recyclable and durable.
“A new approach and collaboration is needed when looking at design and production,” says Sumfleth. “During the development of the first Circular Collection, we were able to gain a lot of experience that will have a major impact on how we want to create fashion in the future.”
In the first collection of this kind, which is aimed at women, men and children, the pieces should be timeless and durable, but also fashionable. For this, Bonprix relies on materials such as organic cotton or a material mix that contains a maximum of five percent elastane.
When it comes to design, the clothing supplier does without large-scale prints. In addition, the buttons of the jeans can be unscrewed and instead of rivets there are applications. In the next collection, which is planned for autumn, materials such as corduroy will be in the foreground. But there should also be more recyclable accessories.
Plastic swimwear from the beach
As a further step, Bonprix is cooperating with Plastic Bank. The socially-oriented company from Canada employs garbage collectors who collect plastic waste on the beaches. Depending on the amount collected, they are paid a fee that is intended to help secure their livelihood. Bonprix takes on the “equivalent to 2.2 million plastic bottles collected”. In June there will be swimwear made from recycled polyamide.