September was all about innovation – Swedish recycling company Renewcell opened the first commercial textile-to-textile recycling plant. Meanwhile, the Kering Material Innovation Lab, Albini_next and the Vienna Textile Lab devoted themselves to the use of microbial dyes for dyeing applications on cotton and other natural fibers. There has been a lot of news in shoes – more on that at the end of the article – and the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Fashion presented its Sustainable Fashion Awards for the fifth time.
A study by the Munich software company Software Advice focused on the topic of circular economy and found that the image of the textile industry is the one that implements the circular economy the most. At least that’s what German consumers believe. According to them, the chemical industry performed worst.
September is also traditionally one of the month of fashion and so sustainable things were also shown on the catwalks, for example as part of this year’s About You Fashion Week in Milan. Here Perwoll presented a collection of vintage and second-hand pieces to prove that it doesn’t always have to be new.
cooperations
Together with 27 partners, the European Federation of Clothing and Textile Industries (Euratex) launched a project that aims to promote circular and sustainable clothing and textiles. CISUTAC (Circular and Sustainable Textiles and Clothing) wants to eliminate existing bottlenecks in order to increase the circularity of textiles in Europe. The aim is to minimize the overall environmental impact of the sector through the development of new, sustainable and integrated European value chains on a large scale.
The Lycra Company and bio-based intermediates supplier Qore have also partnered to enable the world’s first commercial large-scale production of bio-based elastane. This is done using Qira, the next generation 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) as one of the key ingredients. The first renewable Lycra fiber is expected to be available by 2024.
The Hamburg outdoor label Elkline and the textile service provider WKS want to promote the circular economy in the clothing industry with a joint project. The aim is to “enable a second life for used clothing in an economical and sustainable manner – and that on the basis of certified testing and processing,” according to the companies.
brands and retail
There was a lot going on when it came to shoes; various brands tried to outdo each other in terms of the sustainability of the new shoe models they presented. Innovator On introduced the first shoe made from carbon emissions and Asics launched the lightest sneaker with CO2e emissions. The sustainable shoe brand Allbirds introduced the “Plant Pacer”, a sneaker made from 100 percent plastic-free plant leather made from natural materials such as rubber and plant oils.
Balenciaga launched a resale program and the sportswear giant Adidas launched a new line of viscose sportswear as part of its collaboration with British designer Stella McCartney to demonstrate the potential of a circulatory system in fashion.
Last but not least, Yvon Chouinard, billionaire owner of US outdoor giant Patagonia, set new standards for environmental activism in the fashion industry by giving away his company to help efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Meanwhile, the New York governor resigned Kathy Hochul announced that $10 million in government funding would go into establishing New York’s Fashion Innovation Center (FIC).
green washing
It’s getting tight for brands and retailers when it comes to greenwashing – this is where consumer regulators are cracking down, warning companies to ensure their sustainability claims are truthful and not gloss over or mislead consumers. For example, H&M and Decathlon committed to adjusting or retracting claims about certain garments and websites after the Dutch Consumers and Markets Authority (ACM) found in a report that the use of such claims was “unclear”. As compensation, the two companies will also donate a total of 900,000 euros to various sustainable projects. Expect more such warnings in the future.