#Recycling / Circular Economy

2025-10-06

RadiciGroup and Ferragamo team up for an eco-design project under the Monitor for Circular Fashion initiative

RadiciGroup, a leading player in sustainable textile solutions, has partnered with Ferragamo to develop “Nova – The evolution of a Star”, an eco-design project that reimagines one of the Maison’s iconic handbags through the lens of circularity.

The initiative was born within the Monitor for Circular Fashion (M4CF), the research observatory of SDA Bocconi School of Management that brings together companies, institutions, and stakeholders from the TCLF sector (Textile, Clothing, Leather, Footwear) with the aim of accelerating the transition towards more sustainable and circular business models. The project was unveiled on September 30, during the launch of the Circular Fashion Manifesto 2025, signed by 27 fashion companies and set to become a European benchmark for circular practices.

Nova: a bag symbolizing circular and responsible fashion © 2025 RadiciGroup

The Nova bag is the result of a collaborative eco-design process involving multiple industrial partners: Radici Yarn (RadiciGroup) for textiles, Conceria Antiba for leather, ICEC and UNIC for certification, and Temera for the digital identity of the project. The design approach was guided by the principles of traceability, chemical safety, and durability, with the use of renewable, bio-based materials: the fabric is made with Biofeel® eleven, a 100% bio-based yarn derived from castor oil and produced by Radici Yarn; the leather parts come from Conceria Antiba with vegetable tanning and certified traceability; finally, the bag was assembled without the use of metals or glues, with a 60% reduction in packaging volume. The results are tangible: the bio-based carbon content—that is, the proportion of carbon in the material derived from renewable biological sources, measured using radiocarbon C14 testing—reaches 84.3% of the total weight, making Nova a concrete example of how aesthetics, innovation, and sustainability can coexist.

“It was a pleasure and an honour for us to take part in this innovative eco-design project, which represents a key step toward a sustainable and responsible future,” said Filippo Bona, R&D Manager Apparel & Technical at RadiciGroup. “Our contribution at Radici Yarn focused on selecting the most suitable materials and engaging supply chain partners, all committed to creating a product that is not only functional, but also respectful of the environment and social responsibility values. For this project we chose Biofeel® eleven, our 100% bio-based yarn obtained from castor oil, a low-impact plant that requires very little water. It is a material that combines lightness, strength, and sustainability, demonstrating that technical performance can go hand in hand with protecting the planet.”

The Nova project shows how collaboration across the entire supply chain can foster innovation and accelerate the circular transition in the fashion industry. A synergy that, through the Monitor for Circular Fashion, is part of a broader European movement aiming to redefine the paradigms of textile, leather, and footwear production in a sustainable way.

RadiciGroup: 21st Sustainability Report published

RadiciGroup has published its 21st Sustainability Report, covering the year 2024, confirming more than two decades of transparency and measurement in the economic, environmental, and social dimensions. From its first Social Report in 2004 to the current reporting aligned with the GRI Universal Standards, the Group is now preparing for its next challenge: the adoption of the criteria that will be set out by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Twenty years of Sustainability Report for RadiciGroup

The RadiciGroup Sustainability Report reaches an important milestone this year: twenty years have in fact passed since the Group published its first Social Report in 2004, qualifying it as one of the pioneering companies in the realisation of voluntary non-financial reporting. The document measures the Group’s achievements and the actions it has taken to reduce its environmental impact, respect social values, and implement good business management practices.

Geogreen inaugurates a new photovoltaic plant: over 5,000 solar panels to produce 5.5 million kWh/year of clean energy

Geogreen and RadiciGroup are speeding up their photovoltaic development with the inauguration of a new solar plant in the Municipality of Isola Dovarese in the Province of Cremona. Participating at the official ribbon cutting were the Geogreen shareholders including President Angelo Radici, the mayor of the Municipality of Isola Dovarese and other local officials.

RadiciGroup teams up with Sitip and Tessitura Vignetta to foster more conscious consumer choices

A navy blue nylon dress, providing elegance and comfort to the wearer while simultaneously highlighting the entire Made in Italy production chain: this is the new project RadiciGroup is presenting at Milano Unica, from July 9th to 11th at the Innovation Forum (HALL 3 Booth IN24) promoted by the TexClubTec section of Sistema Moda Italia.

Recover™ launches Recover™ Fabrics to accelerate recycled cotton adoption

Recover™, a leading materials science company and one of the world’s largest producers of recycled cotton fiber, today announced the launch of Recover™ Fabrics, a new product line designed to make premium, low-impact fabrics readily accessible to brands of all sizes, from global retailers to emerging labels.

Innovation and customer proximity – KARL MAYER’s clear focus makes an impression

ITMA ASIA in Singapore was a resounding success for KARL MAYER, exceeding all expectations. The company welcomed visitors from 39 countries and held around 570 expert discussions. Most guests came from India, followed by China, Indonesia and Pakistan. The exchange with them was both well-founded and targeted. Conversation topics ranged from investment projects and new technologies to opportunities for cooperation and business expansion.

Catching heart disease early with AI-based sensor system

It slips on like a normal vest: Fraunhofer IZM has created a smart sensor system in cooperation with the Charité and the Technical University of Berlin. The vest records a vast array of cardiovascular parameters, which an AI-based system uses to support medical diagnostics and spot potentially dangerous developments.

ICAC to collaborate with Uzbekistan and Bizpando on regenerative agriculture

The Government of Uzbekistan has allocated 55,000 hectares of land to implement a regenerative agriculture program for cotton as part of a collaborative project with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and Bizpando, a company with a a blockchain-based internet platform designed to ensure supply chain compliance.