Zara launches first collection made from multi-fibre textile waste
Inditex's flagship brand, Zara, is continuing to develop its sustainability strategy. On April 17, the brand announced the launch of its first collection created from multi-fibre recycled fabrics. This pioneering project, aimed at addressing circularity, was developed in collaboration with the textile recycling company Circ. The women's capsule collection is now available in 11 countries worldwide starting from this week.
Zara and Circ's groundbreaking initiative aims to tackle one of the biggest sustainability challenges in the fashion industry: separating polyester and cotton fibres in order to facilitate garment recycling and propose an alternative to their end-of-life cycle. The goal of the two companies is to "develop new recycled raw materials for the manufacturing of new garments."
Using Circ's technology, Zara has developed a collection featuring lyocell garments in which 50% of the poly-cotton waste fibre is used, as well as polyester garments with 43% of this fibre derived from textile waste. The rest of the capsule collection, created under the creative direction of Zara woman's design team, features fluid and lightweight burgundy-toned garments that have been "designed to be recycled once again at the end of their lifecycle," according to the brand.
"The launch of this collection serves as a prime example of how innovation, research, and the development of new fibres, along with collaboration with industry experts, are fundamental pillars for continuing to advance circularity within the textile industry," stated Inditex's sustainability director, Javier Losada, in a company press release.
"As agents of change, Zara and Inditex aim to lead the transformation of our sector by creating fashion collections with circularity in mind," he went on to add.
Meanwhile, Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ, celebrated the fact that “this is the first time that garments made from recycled polyester and lyocell from poly-cotton waste are in the hands of consumers”, adding that “important steps are being taken to convert circularity into the new standard in the textile industry”.
For the top executive of the American technology company specialised in transforming textile waste, this partnership with Zara “could represent a truly transcendent change in consumers' vision of sustainability in the fashion industry."
"At Circ and Zara, we are committed to a new future in which all the garments that make up our wardrobes are made from recycled materials and are in turn recyclable," concluded the CEO of the Danville, Virginia-based company.
Technology company Circ has already secured million in investment
The alliance traces back to the Inditex group's decision to invest in Circ last year, a strategic move through which the Galician group aims to "accelerate the industrial scaling of targeted solutions and advancing circularity in the textile industry."
This was the company's first operation under its Sustainability Innovation Hub (SIH), which aims to identify innovative solutions being developed by companies and startups, "work with them and adapt them to the needs of the fashion industry while facilitating their scalability."
Last July, Circ announced a $30 million funding round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), founded by Bill Gates, and investments from new partners such as Inditex and the American textile manufacturer Milliken & Company. Just a month ago, the start-up secured another $25 million investment, backed by Zalando, the scientific materials and digital label manufacturer Avery Dennison, and the sports clothing specialist Youngone.
The Inditex group, chaired by Marta Ortega, is committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2040. Through its Sustainability Innovation Hub (SIH), the company has already collaborated with over 200 start-ups and participated in more than 30 pilot tests.
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