H&M will sell clothes made out of Circulose – why should you care?
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The fast fashion retailer will sell clothes made out of a new type of sustainable fabric called Circulose – this is what you need to know!
Fast fashion holds large environmental impacts.
Not only does it contribute to landfill, but the industry depletes non-renewable resources, emits greenhouse gases and uses up a lot of energy, chemicals and water.
So, what are these brands doing to help?
H&M is taking a stand, announcing that it will begin distributing and selling garments made from Circulose.
In fact, H&M will be the first fashion company to sell clothes made from this fabric. The retailer plans to start rolling out styles some time this spring overseas, so if you're living in Australia, you can expect it in autumn. You'll be able to shop in-store or online.
What is Circulose?
Well, it's a sustainable fabric option that just so happens to be made from up-cycled clothing and fashion waste.
Circulose is produced by Re:newcell, an innovative Swedish fashion company. The first prototype was created back in 2014 and has been a success ever since. It's made from 100% cotton recycled clothing and garment production waste.
H&M won't be using 100% of the fabric, it will actually be a blend of circulose and viscose – 50% circulose sourced from up-cycled cotton jeans fabric and 50% viscose sourced from FSC-certified wood. This method is a lot better than using cotton.
Erik Karlsson, H&M investment manager for sustainable fashion at Co:Lab, spoke to WWD about the plans to have all recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030.
He said: "Cotton has certain sustainability issues as we know... Proportionally our use of cotton has decreased. I expect that to continue. We will see a lot of innovation in this area and many new fibres in the future and more."
To produce cotton, you need large amounts of water and high volumes of fertilisers and pesticides.
We're loving the fact that fast fashion labels are taking this problem seriously and are programming for change in the world of fashion.
