The fashion industry relies heavily on raw materials, and producing these materials uses energy, water, and land. When textiles and other resources are discarded, that effort and impact are lost. By finding ways to reuse and recycle, we help keep materials in use for longer and reduce the need for new resources. This is an important step in addressing the challenges our industry faces.
Our Approach
We work to minimise waste across our value chain – from design and production to what happens after products are worn. This means:
Reducing waste
Reducing waste at the source by improving how we design and plan collections.
Reusing materials
Reusing materials through initiatives that give leftover fabrics and unsold products a second life.
Recycling
Recycling by supporting technologies that turn textile waste into new fibers.
We also collaborate with partners and innovators to explore new solutions, because no single company can solve this challenge alone. Our goal is to keep materials in circulation for as long as possible, creating value instead of waste.
To support the development of alternatives to polyester, we have joined Fashion for Good’s Full Circle Textiles Project for polyester.
The project aims to scale promising chemical recycling options for polyester, as chemical recycling has the potential to make textile-to-textile recycling a reality for polyester.
We have participated in a pilot exploring how post-industrial textile waste (fabric scraps) can be collected, sorted and prepared for recycling at a larger scale. Bangladesh generates significant volumes of textile waste, but systems for segregation, data and traceability are still developing.
Through the SWITCH to Upstream Circularity pilot, we worked with suppliers and partners to improve waste sorting practices and increase transparency about material composition. These are important prerequisites for enabling recycling and attracting investment in recycling capacity.
To comply with EU reporting requirements, we publish annual information on discarded products.
Importantly, we have no interest in destroying undamaged products. We continuously work to optimise our purchasing and inventory planning to ensure the right products are available for the market while minimising excess stock.