Sourcing  fibres through regenerative farming is growing in importance at Hugo Boss. Its director of sustainability insists a close personal connection with farmers is imperative.

It might come as a surprise to find out that the 80% of the fibres used by fashion brand Hugo Boss are natural, so used are we to seeing high percentages of polyester in most brands’ make-up. The German company, which had annual revenues of €4.3 billion in 2024, believes that natural fibres are the future, and even has a target in place to phase out polyester and nylon by 2030. The company also believes that supply chain visibility to farmer level is crucial – a rarity for many big brands, which often lose track of their raw materials (and even suppliers) as they move through the chain. But having these deep connections with the growers means the company can understand the issues and challenges at a personal level, and therefore have some influence over how the land is looked after and cultivated.

“As we have 80% natural fibres, a few years ago I was dancing with the idea of organic, but can you scale organic to 100%? No,” Hugo Boss’s sustainability director, Heinz Zeller, comments at a seminar at the Lineapelle leather show in Milan. Instead, he turned his attention to regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming that is centred on a holistic ecosystem, where soil health, biodiversity and carbon neutrality play an essential role. 

Cotton makes up 60% of Hugo Boss’s material use (13,700 metric tons in 2024), 7% is wool, 4% is leather, 3% natural rubber and 1% linen. For Mr Zeller, the farmer needs to be at the centre of the philosophy, recognising that all farms’ circumstances are different. “Every week, my calendar is full of meetings with farmers or farm organisations,” he says, suggesting he speaks to at least one a day. “We work with a few thousand farms in India and Pakistan. We have so many systems in place worldwide, and we acknowledge every system has something good in it, so this is a content-based approach.”

A cornerstone of this effort is its partnership with Raddis Cotton, based in India, where one third of its cotton its sourced from. Here, most agricultural activities, from soil management and seed-sowing to weeding and picking, are undertaken by women. Raddis supports female farmers by training them in regenerative farming processes and offering them a stable income, new job opportunities and important roles in the ecosystems of their farms and villages. Boss launched its first Raddis collection for spring-summer 2023. Last year, it pledged to extend its support for another three years.

Legislation-ready

In preparation for incoming EU regulations that will affect the clothing industry, Hugo Boss is undergoing an analysis of its business model and strategy concerning biodiversity and ecosystem-related risks. A biodiversity impact assessment will inform the development of a transition plan, ensuring that biodiversity considerations are integrated into its strategic framework. The company is also preparing for Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) reporting, which supports a shift in global financial flows away from “nature-negative outcomes and toward nature-positive outcomes”, aligned with the Global Biodiversity Framework.

A key priority in 2024 was to create a tool for a biodiversity impact assessment. This year, it is extending the tool’s application to Tier 1 suppliers, and Tier 4 farmers practising regenerative farming. An analysis will assess aspects such as land use and changes, proximity to sensitive ecosystems and the presence of threatened species. These findings will inform a biodiversity strategy and a transition plan with timelines. Once these are established, the group will expand the assessment to include other suppliers. In collaboration with regenerative farmers and local communities, Hugo Boss will then implement the plan to support both biodiversity preservation and community resilience. 

The resilience of communities underpins the thinking behind regenerative agriculture, where methods including rotation, cover cropping and rewilding areas help farms to be adaptable.  “We want to restore biodiversity, we want to shift from synthetic to natural inputs,” says Mr Zeller. “We want farmers to increase what they are planting  and go back to nature. One farmer in California told us the other crops kept his farm going when he didn’t earn enough from cotton. Diversifying is key for the future of farmers, and this feedback shows that protecting surrounding land will help them in dry times.”

Another cornerstone of regenerative farming is animal welfare. The company was pulled into a scandal at the end of last year, when campaign group PETA ‘exposed’ sheep being harshly treated at a farm in New Zealand. Although not named as one of the main buyers of the wool, Hugo Boss’s name was drawn into the reporting, and Mr Zeller says it is important to have dialogue and work towards resolutions. “I phoned the NGO and asked how we could collaborate. It’s not easy but it’s doable,” he says. “Animal welfare is something we have to take care of. You could have the most beautiful product in the world, but if you have animal cruelty, you won’t sell it, full stop. If there are problems, we need to fix them.”

Aeoniq scales up

While only a fifth of its materials are synthetic (including 13% polyester, 7% polyamide and 2% elastane), Hugo Boss is partnering with organisations to look for alternatives, and to counter the possibility of microplastic shedding. In 2023, it invested in HeiQ’s novel Aeonic fibre, a recyclable, biodegradable cellulose-based yarn that can be made from a range of renewable resources, including wood pulp and algae. It has been described as a climate positive yarn – due its “net positive” impact on the environment – and as a real alternative to polyester and nylon.

This July, Portugal-based wood pulp producer Altri bought a majority stake in the yarn from HeiQ and announced plans to begin production in Portugal. Production of AeoniQ will benefit from vertical integration, from eucalyptus-based pulp to finished yarn, the company said. The innovative fibre will later incorporate other feedstocks, spanning cotton textile waste, agricultural waste and possibly even bacterial cellulose derived from food waste.  Hugo Boss launched its first AeoniQ polo shirts in 2023 and its first sneakers made with AeoniQ in 2024, and has committed to gradually increasing the use of the yarn in its brands’ collections.
Combined, these initiatives will help the group meet its targets, which include that 80% of its clothing material is circular by 2030. It has also set the goal of sourcing 100% of natural materials according to regenerative principles or through closed-loop recycling by 2030. As of 2024, 12% of natural materials had met these criteria, up from only 1% in 2023. 

Accepting, for the time being, some clothing is made from synthetics, the company has teamed up with Jiaren Chemical Recycling and NBC to develop a polyester yarn from textile waste that is degradable. Boss will have exclusive rights to NovaPoly for a year, after which it will license it out to other companies. The natural additive that is integrated into the yarn is supplied by Dubai-based New Biodegradable Co.

At its core, a holistic view of how our choices affect the earth, and a connection with the tier four suppliers, the farmers, is key – as is an understanding that textile fibres should only be part of their offering, to protect both the land and their livelihoods. “We need to go outside of textiles and leather – the farmer doesn’t work for us. We’ve worked with cosmetics industry and food on a joint approach,” adds Mr Zeller. “We have seen that if you work together, that’s when it benefits the farmer.”

Hugo Boss’ pillars of regenerative practices

Soil health
• Increase organic matter
• Conservation tillage
• Cover crops/rotations
• Water conservation
• Carbon sink

Animal welfare

• Five freedoms of animal welfare
• Grass fed/pasture raised
• No concentrated animal feeding operations
• Limited transport
• Suitable shelter

Biodiversity

• Compost instead of synthetic fertiliser
• Biocontrol (macro/microbials natural substances)
• Incorporate beneficial insects, birds and animals
• Protect native vegetation
• Restore habitats

Social fairness

• Respect IL and UN conventions
• Capacity building 
• Democratic organisation
• Fair payment for farmers 
• Long-term commitments

Image: Hugo Boss is increasing its use of regenerative cotton. In 2023, less than 1% was from these systems – by 2024 it was 13%. Part of this is from the Raddis Cotton project in India, from which a collection of t shirts, joggers and tops was produced.
Credit: Hugo Boss

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