The trend business’s annual manufacturing of an estimated 100 to 150 billion clothes has a mounting environmental value.
Each 12 months, garment manufacturing generates 1.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions and releases about 500,000 tonnes of microplastic fibres into the ocean, in accordance with Science Direct. An estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated globally every year, in accordance with the United Nations Environment Programmewith most of it incinerated or ending up in landfills.
These alarming figures have drawn the eye of regulators and policymakers, with authorities within the EU, China and US states like California demanding the business reins in extra manufacturing and waste. For instance, the EU has just lately authorised the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which is able to quickly require trend firms to report on unsold textiles and can make it unlawful to destroy unsold merchandise by early 2026.
With 60 p.c of manufacturers behind on sustainability targets, in accordance with The State of Fashion 2025’s government survey, manufacturers should take into account new methods to fulfill altering regulatory wants.
Since its inception greater than 75 years in the past, Recover — one of many world’s largest producers of mechanically recycled cotton — has supported companies throughout the attire, equipment and residential textiles industries to scale back their environmental footprint.
The firm transforms textile waste on the post-industrial stage, along with pre- and post-consumer sources (corresponding to material off-cuts or previous garments) into high-quality recycled cotton and fibre blends throughout its recycling amenities in Spain, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and El Salvador.
It works with its 150-plus companions to eradicate landfill waste, cut back water utilization and eutrophication (the extreme enrichment of water with vitamins or chemical compounds, corresponding to these from textile runoff, resulting in algal overgrowth and oxygen depletion) by 99.9 p.c. These companies additionally report consuming 96 p.c much less power and decreasing Co2 emissions by 93 p.c.
Since the appointment of CEO Anders Sjöblom in 2024 — previously international managing director of H&M Lifestyle Brands — Recover has entered a new chapter, increasing past pure recycled cotton fibre into materials to streamline the adoption of recycled supplies for trend manufacturers.
While Recover’s conventional fibre blends have allowed its shoppers to spin its supplies into new clothes, the corporate is now additionally serving to manufacturers with out the means to rework fibres in-house, or trying to undertake sooner sustainable options, to attain extra environmentally accountable manufacturing strategies by providing entry to its newly developed Recover Fabrics merchandise.
The newly launched recycled pure materials might be simply built-in into manufacturers’ pre-existing provide chains and manufacturing amenities. With a mixture of various blends of Recover’s recycled fibres, the brand new materials cut back land use, greenhouse gasoline emissions and water consumption by as much as one-third.
The material collections provide a quick, go-to-market answer for the commonest and commercially related supplies, corresponding to cotton fibre and blends with lyocell, elastane and conventionally grown, responsibly sourced cotton — which might decompose in as little as three months, versus as much as the 200 years it takes polyester.
Recover has additionally developed Recover Blanks, a ready-to-wear, unbranded fundamentals assortment, together with t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters and joggers, for purchasers looking for pre-designed sustainable fundamentals.
To study extra about how Recover is evolving its choices to cater to trend manufacturers trying to implement sustainable options into their provide chain, The Business of Fashion sits down with its CEO Anders Sjöblom.
What is driving demand for sustainable and low-impact supplies as we speak?
Consumer preferences, regulation and model worth — or threat — are the principle forces driving demand.
Consumers are more and more conscious of environmental affect and need to know the place merchandise come from, what they comprise, and the way they align with their values. Yet, whereas customers purpose to be extra sustainable, they don’t at all times act accordingly, which makes regulation a key driver of demand.
Regulation is required to stage the taking part in subject in order that manufacturers dedicated to sustainability aren’t at a drawback. The EU is introducing intensive laws that may broaden over the approaching years, masking every thing from environmental communication to minimal necessities for recycled fibre content material in new clothes.
What do manufacturers threat by not investing in sustainable material options?
Most manufacturers have made bold sustainability commitments and need to be perceived as sincere with their prospects.
Traceability is essential, as many have pledged to make use of extra recycled content material however face challenges verifying supplies on account of fragmented and opaque provide chains. In cotton manufacturing, for instance, we’ve got seen current scandals and widespread points with pretend certificates.
Many manufacturers now recognise the danger of being uncovered for not assembly their sustainability claims, which may critically injury their popularity. This is why extra manufacturers are partnering with us.
What are frequent misconceptions round adopting sustainable manufacturing practices or recycled fibres?
Many imagine recycled fibres at all times imply a compromise on high quality. Another is round worth — manufacturers usually assume sustainability should include a important value enhance.
That’s why we’re launching Recover Fabrics. Through innovation and collaboration with strategic companions, we’ve got achieved a lot increased qualities in recycled cotton — from mushy jerseys and premium heavy fleeces to woven functions and even tailor-made fits.
This is very vital in a inventive business the place selections are made visually and tactically. Designers must see and really feel the material to think about the ultimate garment, so having sturdy, high-quality materials from the beginning is crucial.
What should trend executives pay attention to when assessing their producers and provide chain for larger sustainability credentials?
Executives nonetheless must stability elements like competence, high quality, logistics, tariffs and worth. However, rising consideration have to be given to methods of working — significantly traceability and transparency, which we provide our model companions.
Recover affords transparency in 3 ways: by way of certification; digital traceability utilizing blockchain expertise; and a bodily proprietary tracer embedded in our fibre. This permits manufacturers to confirm with a scanner whether or not a completed garment accommodates real recycled Recover fibre.
What does Recover’s new materials, Recover Fabrics, provide to companies turning in direction of extra sustainable merchandise?
First, it affords fascinating materials with very low environmental affect. It additionally allows manufacturers to work sooner whereas utilizing sustainable recycled fibres, making it appropriate even for sooner trend or capsule collections. The materials make it attainable to use recycled cotton to a wider vary of merchandise and obtain increased high quality than earlier than.
The launch consists of 4 collections: the Elite Collection, developed with Portuguese mill TMG, focuses on excessive innovation and high quality in woven materials for suiting, outerwear, and overshirts. The Premier Collection, developed with Spanish mill Textil Santanderina, is one other woven vary that emphasises versatility and on a regular basis necessities like chinos.
The Core Collection focuses on t-shirts, hoodies, and different jersey items — that are cost-competitive necessities with mushy jersey and fleece. Finally, the Essential Denim Collection affords denim staples that stability efficiency, type, and sustainability by way of recycled fibres.
How does Recover guarantee high quality consistency throughout recycled and blended materials?
Consistency is very vital as a result of recycled cotton manufacturing remains to be extremely fragmented, resulting in uneven high quality and main challenges with transparency and traceability.
At Recover, high quality comes first. When we set up a new manufacturing plant, our first hires are usually in high quality management. We have round 30 scientists and technicians working in labs throughout the three continents the place we function. They conduct intensive testing on each uncooked supplies and completed fibres, analyzing chemical and mechanical efficiency.
In addition, our proprietary ISO-certified manufacturing course of — developed over many years of working with recycled cotton — ensures a constant, high-quality output. Recover’s roots return 75 years, and that have is constructed into our processes as we speak.
What advantages do Recover Fabrics provide to medium-sized companies with out the capability to supply on the fibre stage?
The key profit is simple and fast entry to high-quality, low-impact materials with out compromising on traceability. This permits smaller companies to deal with design and creativity, figuring out the product’s high quality, affect and manufacturing requirements are assured.
Even bigger trend and luxurious manufacturers are displaying sturdy curiosity, as the gathering affords a easy, ready-to-use answer for creating extra sustainable merchandise with out having to overtake current processes.
How do you’re employed with companions to optimise the manufacturing course of?
We work carefully with our accomplice mills, combining our experience in recycled fibres with their deep information of cloth building. This direct collaboration permits us to innovate and optimise each stage of manufacturing to make sure the best requirements of environmental affect, high quality and efficiency.
As an innovation-driven firm, we continuously check and refine our processes. The 50 materials in our launch assortment got here from intensive trial and error — figuring out the place recycled cotton works greatest throughout key garment classes and attaining the best attainable high quality by way of the suitable blends.
What excites you most about Recover over the medium- to long-term?
The mixture of our goal, our strategic model companions and our crew. Together, we’re enabling large-scale sustainable change within the trend business — creating each enterprise worth and inspiration. We’re working with main prospects who’re actually dedicated to reworking how the business operates, and that momentum is rising daily.
Our crew is one other main supply of delight. We are a world-class group with over 20 nationalities, and that variety helps us ship high-quality merchandise whereas elevating the notion of sustainability itself.
For us, sustainability isn’t solely about accountability or decreasing unfavourable affect: it’s additionally about pleasure and creativity. Fashion is pushed by emotion, and we would like sustainable merchandise to be simply as fascinating and provoking as another. The purpose is to make recycled supplies synonymous with high quality, magnificence and real low affect, with out compromise.
This is a sponsored characteristic paid for by Recover as a part of a BoF partnership.