🔎 What’s going on?
Last week, fashion giant H&M introduced a groundbreaking garment-to-garment recycling technology instore. It’s a first for the fashion industry and the world’s first in-store recycling system that turns old garments into new ones.
👗 Cool, tell me more!
Looop, the garment-to-garment recycling technology was developed by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) working closely with H&M’s non-profit foundation.
The technique quite simply shreds old garments and turns them into new garments - in just 8 steps:
- Cleaning - the old garment is sprayed with ozone to remove any microorganisms (yes, it’s the same ozone molecule that also protects our planet. Three oxygen atoms make up one ozone molecule.)
- Shredding - the garment is shredded into small chunks of fabric fibres
- Filtering - shredded chunks are filtered to remove dirt, and extra virgin material is added for strength
- Carding - the clean fibre mix is straightened into a fibre web and then pulled into slivers (untwisted fibres).
- Drawing - multiple fibre slivers are combined to create even stronger, thicker slivers
- Spinning - the thick fibre slivers are spun to create a single yarn thread
- Twisting - single yarn threads are doubled and twisted together to increase their strength
- Knitting - the yarn is knitted into a new, ready-to-wear design
*Source: the above steps are taken directly from H&M’s website.
Using ozone to clean the garment is one of the key reasons why the system uses no water and no chemicals - drastically lowering the environmental impact of recycled garments when compared to using only virgin fibres. This system does use some virgin fibres, however, H&M has chosen to only use sustainable virgin fibres where possible.
❓ Why should I care?
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the fashion industry produces 10% of carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. This statement speaks for itself. According to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, shockingly, only 12% of clothes are recycled, where they are shredded further and used for insulation. 73% of the clothing used each year ends up in the landfill or is incinerated (burnt).
🚦 Where do we need to be?
There are three principles to follow here:
- Prove commercial viability for the circularity of garments. H&M customers will be paying 100 - 150SEK (£8.50 - £13) to deposit their used clothing and watch it being recycled in real-time, instore.
- Ensure the technology is widely accessible for everyone in the industry and scalable. HKRITA has announced its intention to license the technology to help the entire industry become more circular.
- Measure ‘impact ROI metrics’ that are linked to materials used in the supply chain
👤 What can I do about it?
As an individual, the number one thing we can all do is to reduce buying clothes, in particular clothes that have been made following ‘fast fashion’ principles. Instead, opt for sustainable, slow fashion clothes that are made to last a lifetime.
If you are a fashionable trendsetter, then consider renting clothes instead of buying new clothes. Check out brands such as Hurr Collective, WardrobeHQ, Rotaro, Girl Meets Dress.
As a business, radically increase the amount of recycled materials used in your supply chain to drive a circular business model.
Related: Meet the Interceptor, a solution to river plastics pollution