Recover sees 'revolution' in recycling technology
The CEO of recycled cotton company Recover has said structural changes are needed in brands for decision-makers to have the freedom and power to invest in more sustainable fibres and fabrics, as they are too often constrained by profits and cost.
Anders Sjöblom, who joined the Spanish company from H&M in January, also told the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network meeting in New York that the recycled fibres industry had advanced more than most people realise.
“We have had a revolution in terms of our technology in the last two years - we can add 40% recycled cotton into the yarn without losing quality, when before it was 10%,” he said. “There is still a perception that recycled cotton is low quality or hard to work with, and this is not true.”
He believes that as cotton is probably the most used fibre in fashion, it makes sense for companies to make better choices around it. “There will always be customers that desire natural fabrics,” he said. “To really make an impact, you need to tackle the largest part of the problem. Recycled cotton is the lowest-cost recycled fibre, it is scalable and attractive for investors.”
The 75 year-old Spanish company offers a recycled cotton from textiles waste (industrial waste and used garments) that can be supplied at scale, at a consistent quality. There are physical tracers in the fibre so it can be verified in the products, he added. “We are here to enable large-scale sustainable change."
Image: A picture from Recover’s first art exhibition, 'Rooted in Circularity', by Spanish photographer Estela de Castro, hosted at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
