Materials & Packaging Circular Economy

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Pangaia, Primark Expand Efforts to Turn Waste Textiles Into New Colors

The latest in a growing wave of circular textile innovations, the materials-science company and the global retailer have both launched collections that turn waste materials into new, colored textiles that require no dyeing.

Published 2 years ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Pangaia

Pangaia Re-color Capsule turns offcut materials into colored dyestuffs

'This hoodie is colored using a technology that recycles our textile waste into new colors' | Image credit: Pangaia

Today, materials-science company Pangaia announced its latest innovation, the Re-color Capsule collection — featuring its signature 365 sweatshirts and sweatpants dyed with Recycrom™. The circular dye technology transforms Pangaia textile waste into colored powder dyestuﬀs.

The Re-color Capsule features four classic Pangaia styles colored with dyes created with Pangaia oﬀcut materials, and builds on the company’s efforts to ﬁnd color innovation and create dyes that are less water intensive and require no harmful chemicals. Pangaia worked with Recycrom to transform its material leftovers into brand new shades — a process that, once scaled, could help the textile industry away shift from traditional, harmful chemical dyes.

Recycrom is a patented dyestuﬀ range from Italian textile chemical company Oﬃcina+39, made from Pangaia textile waste. The technology upcycles textile ﬁbers into a full range of colored powders that the company says can be used as a pigment dye for fabrics and garments made of cotton, wool, nylon or any natural and most artiﬁcial ﬁbers and blends. In contrast to other dyes, Recycrom is not part of a chemical solution — which means it can be easily ﬁltered from waste water, reducing the environmental impact.

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The Re-color Capsule helps close the loop on Pangaia material oﬀcut waste and — in conjunction with collections such as its recent Reclaim Capsule, which features sweatshirts and sweatpants made from textile waste — is a step closer a more circular system. The Re-color Capsule features a hoodie, track pant, t-shirt and shorts in Aloe Green, Sky Blue, Apricot, Coral Pink and Banana — muted colors all repurposed from PANGAIA core colors. The capsule will be available only on Pangaia.com starting August 4.

Primark expands partnership with Recover, takes RColorBlend technology global

Image credit: Primark

Meanwhile, UK-based global apparel retailer Primark recently announced it has expanded its partnership with recycled cotton producer Recover™ and will become the first high-street retailer to use Recover’s unique RColorBlend fiber on a global scale, in a new leisurewear range. The partnership supports Primark’s commitment, through its Primark Cares strategy, to increase the amount of clothing containing recycled materials and builds on its ambition to make more sustainable fashion affordable for all.

“I am delighted to be expanding our partnership with Recover, to continue to bring their innovations to a wide market and support our work to increase the amount of recycled material we’re using in our clothes,” says Lynne Walker, Director of Primark Cares at Primark. “For change to happen at scale across the fashion industry, we need partnership and collaboration; and we will continue to invest in partnerships like this to support our ambition to become a more circular business and reduce the impact that we have on the environment.”

Recover produces a series of low-impact, high-quality recycled cotton fiber and fiber blends — including RColorBlend — helping to close the loop on fashion. RColorBlend is produced by blending Recover’s colored, recycled fiber from textile waste – from factory floor cutting waste or used clothes – together with a recycled carrier fiber. Color accuracy is achieved by mixing the two types of fibers together, with no additional dyeing treatment and limited water and chemicals to reduce the environmental impact.

The RColorBlend range — made using recycled cotton and polyester fibers in a range of colors including grey, blue and pink — is available in selected stores across 14 markets in Europe and the US. A fourth-generation, family-owned company backed by recent investment from STORY3 Capital and Goldman Sachs, Recover is on a mission to scale its proprietary technology to make a lasting positive impact on the environment and partner with brands/retailers and other change-makers to meet the industry’s sustainability targets.

“This latest product offering is another important milestone in our long-term partnership with Primark, with the aim to make circular fashion accessible and affordable for everyone,” says Alejandro Raña, Chief Business Development Officer at Recover. “By integrating Recover’s RColorBlend recycled fiber within their supply chain, Primark can produce high-quality garments in a large range of colors and with minimum environmental impacts, helping to have a long-lasting effect on the industry.”