#Recycling / Circular Economy

2021-09-30

Zalando invests in Infinited Fiber Company

Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, invests in the circular fashion and textile technology group Infinited Fiber Company. The investment completes a funding round recently led by H&M Group, in which adidas and BESTSELLER’s investment arm Invest FWD A/S also took part. Infinited Fiber Company will use the proceeds to prepare for building Infinited Fiber Company’s flagship factory in Finland in response to the strong growth in demand from global fashion and textile brands for Infinited Fiber Company’s regenerated textile fiber Infinna™.

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology turns cellulose-based raw materials into regenerated textile fiber, Infinna™

Funding used to prepare for building Infinited Fiber Company’s flagship factory and boost pilot plant output

Investment tied to Zalando’s sustainability goal to extend the life of at least 50 million fashion products by 2023

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology turns cellulose-based raw materials, like cotton-rich textile waste, into Infinna™, a unique, premium-quality regenerated textile fiber with the natural, soft look and feel of cotton. Infinna™ is biodegradable, contains no microplastics, and at the end of their life, garments made with it can be recycled in the same process together with other textile waste. Both companies are also signing a letter of intent that includes Zalando providing raw materials to Infinited Fiber Company in the future and Zalando using the regenerated Infinna™ fiber for its private label production.

Infinited Fiber Company co-founder and CEO Petri Alava says: “We are delighted to welcome Zalando as a new strategic investor into our circle of partners, and see their commitment as further indication of the fashion industry’s strong belief in our innovation. Zalando’s vast brand portfolio and circularity initiatives provide a great basis to deepen our collaboration and to secure feedstock for our flagship plant.”

Zalando Co-CEO David Schneider: “We want to be part of the solution for a more sustainable fashion industry. With the investment in Infinited Fiber Company, we initiate a collaboration with a circular technology innovator to grow the industry share of textiles recycled into new textiles, which currently sits at only one percent.”

Zalando has previously teamed up with sustainable fashion innovation platform, Fashion for Good, and the Berlin-based startup, circular.fashion, to develop the redeZIGN for Circularity capsule collection and with the Ellen MacArthur foundation to accelerate a circular economy in fashion.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

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NEUMÜHLE launches mono-material hoodie designed for textile recycling

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New Look, M&S, Sainsbury's and Oxfam join forces to boost the UK’s circular textile economy

New Look, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Oxfam and Circle-8 today announce The Circuit, a new collaborative model bringing together retailers, textile recovery partners, automated sorting, recyclers, digital innovators and manufacturers to help build new circular textile value chains and transform UK generated post-consumer textiles into future circular raw materials. The first phase of the initiative will focus on testing, learning and developing the operational frameworks needed to support future scale-up.

YKK subsidiary Golden Hill Tower Limited marks 25 years of operations in Myanmar

Golden Hill Tower Limited, a subsidiary of YKK Corporation, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a ceremony in Myanmar on September 21, 2026. The event brought together approximately 230 guests, including senior executives from the YKK Group, to commemorate the company's development since the launch of its serviced apartment business in November 2000.

SHIMA SEIKI to showcase digital product creation at Apparel Sourcing Week

Leading digital textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan will exhibit at Apparel Sourcing Week 2026 in Bengaluru, India next month. The exhibition provides a platform for the entire apparel value chain, bringing together manufacturers, brands, suppliers and solution providers in one location.

SNA GZ accelerates its on-demand production strategy with Kornit Digital

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New Cotton Review examines competitiveness, market risk, and opportunities

From moving record volumes of Brazilian cotton to market, to managing price volatility, unlocking Ethiopia’s production potential, and strengthening African textile trade, the latest edition of Cotton: Review of the World Situation examines some of the most consequential opportunities and challenges facing the global cotton industry.