New Cotton Project
In a world first for the fashion industry, twelve pioneering players came together to break new ground by demonstrating a circular model for commercial garment production.
What's the challenge?
It is currently estimated that only 2% of post-consumer textiles in Europe are diverted to fibre-to-fibre recycling. The fashion industry urgently needs scalable solutions, yet the creation of circular materials to decrease dependency on virgin material has historically proven challenging, with a truckload of textiles being landfilled or burned every second. Although there have been many pilot schemes, no organisation has been able to address the problem alone. The New Cotton Project launched in answer to this challenge, aiming to demonstrate a potential blueprint for commercial circular garment production, and a new more sustainable way of working for the fashion industry.
Executive Summary
Through-out the project the consortium worked to collect and sort end-of-life textiles, which using pioneering Infinite Fiber technology could be regenerated into a new man-made cellulosic fibre called Infinna™, which looks and feels just like virgin cotton. The fibres were then spun into yarns and manufactured into different types of fabric which were designed, produced, and sold by adidas and H&M, making the adidas by Stella McCartney tracksuit and a H&M printed jacket and jeans the first to be produced through a collaborative circular consortium of this scale, demonstrating a more innovative and circular way of working for the fashion industry.
Goals of the Project
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Harnesses cutting edge chemical recycling technology.
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Demonstrate a circular value chain for commercial garment production.
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Pilot and scale circular fashion within garment production.
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Project Results
As the project completed in March 2024, the consortium highlighted eight key factors (more detail here) they have identified as fundamental to the successful scaling of fibre-to-fibre recycling:
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ADOPTING CIRCULAR VALUE CHAINS IS CRITICAL
Textile circularity needs collaboration and open knowledge sharing across sectors like fashion, waste management, recycling, tech, and policy. Actors must align priorities, share insights, and shift away from fast-fashion models. Openly sharing lessons and promoting systemic transitions are vital for success. -
CIRCULARITY BEGINS AT DESIGN
Design with end-of-life in mind to simplify recycling, avoiding intricate prints and embellishments. Develop business models to extend product life, such as repair, rental, resale, and sharing services. -
SCALING SORTING & RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Scaling circular production demands technological innovation in textile collection, sorting, and preprocessing. Current methods, like manual sorting, are insufficient for fibre recycling. Better collaboration, skills, and incentives are needed to enhance feedstock quality. -
IMPROVING DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
A lack of reliable textile data slows circularity progress. Outdated and inconsistent data complicates waste tracking. Standardised reporting, digitisation, and better fibre composition data would aid recyclers and policy monitoring. -
ONGOING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT IS VITAL
Infinna™ fibre offers a sustainable alternative, but scaling fibre-to-fibre recycling requires continuous R&D. Advances in sorting, chemical recovery, and manufacturing need close collaboration across the value chain. -
IMPACT GOES BEYOND FIBRES
Recycled fibres reduce environmental impact, but garment quality and extended use are vital. Life cycle stages beyond fibre production also need improvement to reduce overall impact. -
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Consumer confusion about circular textiles highlights the need for effective communication and engagement. Cultural barriers remain a significant obstacle to circular economy adoption. -
COHESTIVE LEGISLATION
EU legislation must be cohesive to drive circular practices. Aligning laws such as Extended Producer Responsibility and Ecodesign Regulation with clear timelines will help stakeholders prepare effectively.
Innovators
Brand Partners
Implementation Partners
Research & data analysis
Relevant Resources
New Cotton Project Launches Exhibit at the Fashion for Good Museum
Fashion for Good Consortium Pilots Resource Efficient Cotton Farming
Going Beyond Cotton – New Project Harnesses Collaboration & Cutting-edge Technology to Create Circular Fashion
Other Projects
Sorting for Circularity Rewear
Fashion for Good expanded its Sorting for Circularity framework to address the challenge of sorting for rewearable textiles to understand better their resale potential and the demand across the second-hand market. We launched an 18-month initiative in January 2024 in collaboration with Circle Economy, brand partners adidas, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co. and Zalando to enhance the sorting of rewearable textiles using innovative AI technologies. The project seeks to improve garment recovery for resale, promoting circularity in the fashion industry.
Behind the Break
Behind the Break is a multi-phase research initiative developed by Fashion for Good in collaboration with The Microfibre Consortium. The project takes a research-led approach to advance the fashion industry’s understanding of fibre fragmentation, addressing uncertainties in existing testing protocols and key knowledge gaps. By supporting the development of a more credible and consistent foundation, the initiative aims to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions and take decisive action to mitigate fibre fragment pollution, while leveraging the best available science.
Feedstock Activation Europe: FAE
Project FAE (Feedstock Activation Europe) is an initiative led by Fashion for Good to channel post-consumer textiles as feedstock for textile-to-textile recycling at scale. It addresses a core gap in the value chain: today, sorters cannot viably prepare post-consumer material at the price, quantity and quality recyclers require, leaving most non-rewearable textiles with no viable destination.
