In a massive endeavour to promote recycling and reuse, Swedish multinational clothing retail company, Hennes & Mauritz AB, also famously known as H&M has recently come up with a new recycling technology that successfully transforms old garments into brand new ones!
Called ‘Looop,’ this garment-to-garment recycling system uses a methodology that cleans the old garments, shreds them into fibres, spins them to new yarn, and then knits them into new clothes. The container-sized machine is the first in-store recycling system and is part of an initiative by H&M to become a fully circular and climate positive organization.
Remarkably, because this system does not use any water, dye, or chemicals, it has almost zero environmental impact when compared to the process of making new clothes from scratch.
According to its website, the eight simple steps that turn old clothes into new ones are:
1. Cleaning
First, the old garment is sprayed with ozone to remove any microorganisms.
2. Shredding
The garment is then shredded down into small chunks of fabric fibres.
3. Filtering
Shredded chunks are filtered to remove dirt, and extra virgin material is added for strength.
4. Carding
The clean fibre mix is straightened into a fibre web and then pulled into slivers.
5. Drawing
Multiple fibre slivers are combined to create even stronger, thicker slivers.
6. Spinning
The thick fibre slivers are spun to create a single yarn thread.
7. Twisting
Single yarn threads are doubled and twisted together to increase their strength.
8. Knitting
The yarn is then knitted into a new, ready-to-wear design.
“We are constantly exploring new technology and innovations to help transform the fashion industry as we are working to reduce the dependency on virgin resources. Getting customers on board is key to achieve real change and we are so excited to see what Looop will inspire,” said Pascal Brun, Head of Sustainability at H&M.
This machine opened to public in one of H&M’s Drottninggatan stores in Stockholm on 12th October.
Members of H&M’s loyalty program can use this machine for 100 Swedish Kronor whereas non-members can use it for 150 kronor.
This innovative new system has been created by non-profit H&M Foundation in collaboration with research partner HKRITA (The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel) and Hong Kong-based yarn spinner Novetex Textiles.
H&M is one of the pioneers in the fashion industry when it comes to taking green initiatives. In 2013, it became the first fashion retailer to initiate a global garment collecting program. By 2030, the brand aims for all its materials to be either recycled or sourced in a more sustainable manner.
Isn’t this a great initiative by H&M? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
