A new study called “The Textile Recycling Breakthrough” has analysed textile-to-textile polyester recycling in Europe and has identified ten key levers to unlock exponential growth in polyester recycling in Europe. It also quantifies the cost gap between chemically recycled and virgin polyester, outlines policy and investment solutions and shows...
21 May 2025
As pressure mounts on the fashion industry to confront its environmental and health impacts, designer Jeff Garner is offering a personal—and urgent—call to action. His award-winning documentary Let Them Be Naked will stream globally for the first time this Mother’s Day weekend (8–11 May), in memory of his mother, Peggy Lynn Garner, whose death...
9 May 2025
The problem with recycled yarns and fabrics, for many, is the assumption that a recycled yarn cannot be as strong as one made from virgin materials. Enter Unifi, maker of recycled polyester brand Repreve. The company recently launched Fortisyn, an abrasion-resistant and durable yarn that provides fabrics with enhanced tear and tensile strength,...
7 May 2025
Textile-to-textile regeneration company Reju announced today that it has entered into partnerships with Antex and Utexa, multifilament yarn producter with manufacturing locations in Europe and the Americas. The companies will be validating Reju’s proprietary material, Reju Polyester, for commercial adoption in multifilament yarns for textile...
29 Apr 2025
The text that probably triggered the rumours of an alleged EU-wide cotton ban by 2030 was a partner article. The article stressed that cotton was still an ‘environmental problem’, with the conclusion suggesting that an EU ban on cotton was in the offing if the fashion industry itself did not take action because European regulations made it so....
16 Jan 2025
“I’ve spent decades working for brands (Under Armour, The North Face, Timberland, Jansport, Smartwool, Reef, Peak Performance, Gore-Tex, Vans) that make clothes that people love. Yet, too many of these garments have ended up in landfills or incinerated. And increasing global consumption and fast fashion are only accelerating this problem,” says...
27 Nov 2024
Just over two years ago, in July 2022, the four textile and footwear brands On, Patagonia, Puma and Salomon announced that they had joined forces with French biochemical company Carbios to utilise its unique biorecycling technology for synthetic fibre recycling and to improve the recyclability and ongoing reusability of their products. This...
29 Oct 2024
There is a new player on the block in the world of textile recycling - textile to textile regeneration company Reju was incorporated in Paris, France just 12 months ago. Now, the materials regenerator owned by French engineering and technology company Technip Energies has opened its “Regeneration Hub Zero” in Frankfurt, Germany. In a world where...
10 Oct 2024
Data from non-profit Textile Exchange’s latest Materials Market Report shows that the market share of virgin, fossil-based synthetics continued to increase in 2023, while that of cotton and recycled fibres declined. These findings correspond to those of a survey among 50 major fashion brands by NGO Changing Markets Foundation: The brands...
26 Sept 2024
The good news is that fashion companies are making progress when it comes to reducing emissions, phasing out coal and transitioning to renewable energy. The bad news is that greenwashing and ultra fast fashion are undermining these efforts. These are the findings of the “2024 Clean Energy Close Up” report by environmental advocacy group...
10 Jun 2024
“About two-thirds of the raw materials used in the fashion industry are synthetic materials. Synthetic materials, also known as artificial or man-made fibers, are basic materials made by humankind in factories. Unlike cotton and wool, for example, these fabrics do not come from nature. But not everyone knows that synthetic fibers come from...
23 May 2024
The European Commission has microplastics on its agenda. But what initiatives are there to tackle the release of microplastics and what measures are being put in place to reduce the impact of microplastics on the environment? FashionUnited lists them. As always, we start at the beginning: with what microplastics are, why there are concerns about...
8 Nov 2023