#Recycling / Circular Economy

2021-07-08

Recover™, Happy Punt and Hansae Form a strategic partnership to achieve circular fashion for all

Three leading companies in the textiles industry, Recover™, Happy Punt, and Hansae, have entered into a multi-year partnership agreement to provide end-to-end solutions for the design, development, and production of sustainably conscious apparel for the fashion industry. The partnership allows retailers and brands to seamlessly integrate sustainable Recover™ recycled cotton fiber into their products, thereby helping to solve one of the world’s biggest environmental issues.

Using innovative technology, the partnership provides a range of services, including 3D design, patterns, tech packs, samples, and production to support brands and retailers at every step in the supply chain. The partnership offers a unique speed to market solution for the production of fully sustainable apparel and leverages the group’s global reach, with offices in Seoul, Barcelona, and New York. In addition, close customer proximity provides in-market technical design services that develop, review and approve all specifications to ensure correct fit and brand enhancing products.The partnership also provides an end-to-end service that combines the advantages of production nearshore and offshore worldwide.

Dedicated leading edge design and development facilities can produce samples in house from concept to finished sample with a quick turnaround time. Notably, as part of a joint sustainability initiative, the partnership also encourages R&D designs to be replaced by 3D designs to reduce the environmental impact of the sampling process.

The three leading companies have a combined experience of over 130 years in each of their respective fields. Each firm’s commitment to bringing the best technology to the product and the market offers a disruptive approach to the traditional apparel design and production process. The partnership is proud to be actively working with leading global brands to deliver sustainable collections to the market by Spring 2022, and more collections are expected to follow.

Recover™ will increase its production to 200,000 metric tons of recycled cotton fiber per year by 2025 to support the current market demand. This recycled cotton volume will save nearly three trillion liters of water each year, equivalent to the drinking water consumed by 3 billion people on an annual basis and allow 500,000 acres of land to be directed away from cotton cultivation to other uses.

The Recover™, Happy Punt, and Hansae strategic partnership provides brands and retailers with an easy plug & play solution to achieve their sustainability initiatives and ensures a quality product for the consumer.

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI reshape textile processing

Investment decisions in textile processing have become increasingly complex. Rising energy prices, labour shortages and geopolitical uncertainties are forcing companies to prioritise technologies that deliver measurable improvements in efficiency and process stability. This applies not only to apparel production, but also to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. Modernisation projects are therefore being evaluated more selectively – but the pressure to upgrade production systems continues to grow. Texprocess 2026 reflects this tension between cautious investment behaviour and increasing technological demand.

Textile Chemicals & Dyes: Innovation in Textile Chemistry moves into focus at Techtextil 2026

From PFAS-free finishes and water-saving dyeing technologies to advanced coatings and recycling-compatible formulations, innovation in textile chemistry is accelerating across the industry. Reflecting this development, Techtextil 2026 introduces Textile Chemicals & Dyes as a dedicated product segment, highlighting the growing role of chemical solutions in shaping the next generation of technical textiles.

textile.4U publishes special edition “Top 100 Textile Recycling Companies 2025”

With a comprehensive 176-page special edition, textile.4U is dedicating its latest issue entirely to one of the most dynamic and influential topics in today’s textile industry: textile recycling. The new issue, published exclusively in high-quality print, presents the Top 100 textile recycling companies researched and selected by TexData – organizations that already play a key role in the transition to circular textiles or are expected to have a significant impact in the near future.

Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 signed by Governor

Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) is proud to announce that Senate Bill 707 (SB 707), the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, has been signed into law by the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. This groundbreaking legislation establishes the country’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) textile recycling program, marking a significant step forward in the state’s efforts to combat waste and promote sustainability.

Europe needs tipping point to scale textile-to-textile recycling, BCG and ReHubs say

A new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and ReHubs, titled “Advancing Textile Circularity – Europe’s textile waste challenge: Scaling Textile-to-Textile requires enabling mechanisms”, highlights the urgent need for systemic action to tackle Europe’s growing textile waste and scale a circular textile economy.

AI Circular Economy Conference 2026 fuels innovation at the intersection of AI and Circular Economy

The AI Circular Economy Conference 2026, organised by nova-Institute, brought together 116 participants from 15 countries in Cologne and online to explore the transformation of the chemical and materials industry supported and accelerated by artificial intelligence. During the two-day event, leading experts from industry, research, start-ups and the investment community discussed how AI can maximise the potential of renewable carbon creating efficient circular value chains. The conference featured 24 presentations and multiple panel discussions, highlighting the growing convergence of digital technologies and circular material systems. It demonstrated how artificial intelligence is progressing from the experimental stage to real industrial implementation within the circular economy.

Circ deepens access to recycled fibers with Xinxiang Bailu Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. partnership agreement

Circ®, a global leader in textile‑to‑textile recycling, today announced a new partnership agreement with Xinxiang Bailu Chemical Fiber Co., a Canopy Dark Green Shirt producer and one of the world’s leading producers of viscose filament. The agreement marks a significant step in Circ’s continued expansion in China and strengthens its position within the country’s rapidly evolving circular textile ecosystem; further supporting Circ’s ability to supply recycled fibers near existing fashion supply chains.

YKK launches “YZiP® Light” aluminum alloy zipper for cotton pants

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) has launched YZiP® Light, a lightweight aluminum alloy zipper for cotton pants, with sales beginning in late March. The introduction of YZiP® Light expands YKK’s zipper portfolio—led by the flagship YZiP® copper alloy zipper—providing customers with greater flexibility to meet diverse garment needs.

Shima Seiki showcases WHOLEGARMENT® and 3D knitting solutions for technical textiles at Techtextil 2026

Leading textile technology solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, along with its Italian subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI ITALIA S.p.A., will be participating in the Techtextil 2026 exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany next month. On display will be WHOLEGARMENT® and other advanced three-dimensional knitting applications across a wide range of industries besides fashion apparel that are not typically associated with knitting, such as technical textiles using industrial materials and advanced three-dimensional knitting.