The investment is also intended to help create and scale a new industry standard for natural fibre recycling.

NFW has developed a process for welding short fibres into longer fibres to create high-performance cotton yarns that can incorporate cotton and other plant-based waste fibres, allowing the reuse of post-consumer cotton waste to bring performance characteristics into the fibre. The resulting upcycled material, according to the company, “outperforms synthetic fabrics while still retaining the comfortable feel of cotton”. 

Through the investment, Ralph Lauren hopes to expand its own use of recycled post-consumer cotton and to ultimately “replace and reduce its reliance on non-biodegradable synthetics, such as polyester and nylon, while scaling the use of more sustainable and upcycled materials”.

We take a closer look at innovations in cotton recycling in the upcoming issue of Inside Denim, which will be launched in September.

Photo credit: Natural Fiber Welding