Eightyards GmbH has officially launched its business operations from its base in Metzingen, Germany, where it will allow the Hugo Boss Group, of which it is a wholly-owned subsidiary, to repurpose surplus materials for new use.

Hugo Boss first announced the establishment of Eightyards towards the end of 2024, stating at the time that its development was “strategically aligned” with a “commitment to environmentally and resource-friendly production processes”.

Led by former Hugo Boss employees, director Marketa Miltenberger and co-director Placido Klitzke, Eightyards provides options for reselling, reusing and re-, up- and downcycling the group’s surplus textiles for fashion and other industries.

The company also has the ability to transform unused fabrics into new products, efforts of which are already evident in Eightyard’s first projects with clients in both fashion and telecommunications.

The ambition, however, is to establish the venture as a key global facilitator for repurposing surplus materials over the coming years, Hugo Boss said, with plans to extend the service to other material supply sources in the future to drive cross-industry collaboration.

Eightyards reflects what Hugo Boss CEO, Daniel Grieder, said was another step in the group’s “journey to shape a more sustainable future”, building on initiatives utilising data-driven insights that are already in place to “enhance efficiencies across our value chain”.

Grieder commented: "The creation of Eightyards shows our great internal talents and their entrepreneurial spirit. I am excited to see the contribution that Eightyards will deliver to the circular economy.”