There was a lot going on again in May – from recycling and upcycling initiatives and textile innovation to a new standard of the Textile Exchange, everything was represented. The environmental organization Greenpeace also published a greenwashing study to check how sustainable the industry, including its brands and retail companies, really is. Various European cities signed a declaration against fast fashion at the end of the month. Read through a varied May!
textile innovations
When it came to textile innovations, the New York company TômTex made the industry sit up and take notice, presenting a new, leather-like material made from crab shells. This is not made from crab meat, but from the complex type of sugar chitin, which is contained in their shells. The white, sandy and odorless powder is also found in mushrooms, coffee and insects. The new material was also seen on the catwalk in Peter Do’s SS23 collection. Commercial production is set to start in early 2025.
FashionUnited also spoke to UPM Biochemicals, which belongs to a Finnish company that produces eco-friendly materials from wood. Last year it spent 750 million euros to build the world’s first industrial-scale biorefinery in Germany. The factory aims to make chemicals from wood instead of oil, replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources and sustainable materials. These chemicals are then used to make products like glue for shoes. South Korea’s Dongsung Chemical is a strategic partner of UPM Biochemicals, finding innovative ways to produce materials like eco-friendly shoe glue that are better for the planet.
Austrian fiber manufacturer Lenzing is collaborating with textile machinery supplier Karl Mayer Group to promote sustainable innovations in flat knitting and warp knitting. The aim is to increase the use of non-petroleum-based materials in order to make the textile value chain more sustainable. Lenzing also started a large-scale textile recycling project in Austria with partners.
Upcycling and recycling
The DBL Böge Textil-Service GmbH & Co. KG for rental workwear has teamed up with the textile recycler Soex Group to recycle discarded workwear in an ecologically sensible manner and thus save it from incineration, which was often the only option up to now for safety reasons and data protection.
Munich-based shoe brand Nat-2 is dedicated to discovering unusual, natural materials for shoe design such as stone, corn, cork, fish leather, flowers, cannabis, leaves, moss and more. In May, the brand expanded its offer with a “Reduceusecycle” line, which aims to find new, never-before-used materials to recycle and upcycle, presenting a vegan sneaker made from used and then recycled aluminum foil.
Levi’s latest WellThread capsule collection uses BioBlack TX, a plant-based pigment made from wood waste from Nature Coatings, for the prints. The black pigment comes from FSC-certified sources and replaces the petroleum-derived carbon black, which is made from the soot from burning fossil fuels. In May, the Swedish outdoor specialist Fjällräven presented its second Samlaren collection made from material remnants.
In order to continuously reduce its own CO2 footprint, the Italian outdoor brand Aku has put a lot of effort into making the entire process from material to production to transport and disposal transparent and measurable with data. Aku has now progressed to the point where it can calculate the carbon footprint of every product and make better decisions based on that.
circular economy
Dutch textile innovation company Byborre is committed to boosting the circular economy for textiles, raising nearly €17 million in an investment round this year. With the capital injection, textile designer Borre Akkersdijk wants to expand internationally and further invest in automation, material research and data analysis to make the supply chain more efficient, productive and transparent. In an interview with FashionUnited, Akkersdijk explains exactly what Byborre has to offer.
The French Circular Fashion Federation (FMC) has looked at what the future of circular fashion looks like and how it can be promoted. The answer is 15 measures designed to simplify collaboration between public authorities and private individuals. Alongside key provisions of the French Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law, it presents food for thought, regulatory proposals and legislative changes that could benefit the circular economy of fashion.
The new consortium Cisutac wants to remove the obstacles European fashion companies and textile suppliers face on their way to a circular economy. Co-funded by the European Union and supported by 27 partners, the project aims to increase the capacity to reuse, repair and recycle end-of-life textiles using affordable means and methods.
A report jointly released by the global impact organization Circle Economy, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) asked whether the circular economy could create good jobs. It is estimated that a total of 7 to 8 million new jobs could be created through increased reuse and processing of products and materials.
Founders of London menswear brand Lestrange William Green and Tom Horne spoke to FashionUnited about the brand’s European expansion and why circularity isn’t a panacea.
resale
The Swedish slow fashion brand Asket has launched a new store concept that focuses on the sale of used and repaired items. The first Asket Restore store opened in the Stockholm district of Södermalm. There, the products returned to the brand as part of the ‘Revival’ take-back program go back on sale. In addition, samples from photo shoots should also be offered.
The outdoor online retailer Bergzeit and the Berlin start-up Reverse.Supply have joined forces to integrate re-commerce. The Bergzeit Re-Use Shop has been in existence for a year and the outdoor retailer took stock.