HELSINKI – Spanish fast fashion retailer Inditex, parent company of Zara, has signed a €100m deal with textile recycler Infinited Fiber Company. The deal sees Inditex commit to purchase 30 per cent of Infinited Fiber’s annual future production of Infinna, a fibre created from textile waste. The deal will kick-in when Infinnited Fiber opens its first large-capacity factory in 2024.
Infinited Fiber has developed a solution to turn cellulose-rich materials, such as worn-out, cotton-rich clothes, into a new trademarked fibre called Infinna that looks and feels like cotton. Infinna, it is claimed, can be recycled again in the same process together with other textile waste. However, the extent to which this might happen will depend on whether Zara has processes in place to ensure used Infinna garments are returned to Infinited Fiber.
As part of the agreement, Zara is also launching a clothing capsule, with most of the materials produced from clothing sourced in collaboration with the Spanish NGO Cáritas, Zara’s clothing collection program partner. The collection embraces Zara’s fashion-forward styles along with Infinited Fiber Company’s innovative textile waste regeneration technology.
“We truly believe innovation is key for the competitive circular future of the fashion industry, which is why we are actively working to find solutions, and searching for new partnerships, processes and materials to achieve textile-to-textile recycling. Collaborating with others in new innovative initiatives such as Next Generation fibres like Infinna is vital to carrying out the transformation our industry needs,” said Javier Losada, Inditex chief sustainability officer.
Petri Alava, CEO and cofounder of Infinited Fiber Company, said: “Inditex is one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, and this deal is a significant step towards realising our ambition of making Infinna a mainstream textile material of the future. It is such a joy to see the beautifully designed pieces created from sustainably produced upcycled fibre now brought to market for the enjoyment of Zara’s customers. They are yet another demonstration of the versatility of Infinna, and of what can be achieved when great technology is combined with great design. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with Inditex to make textile circularity an everyday reality.”
