Joint-venture aims to extend the use of 40 million garments this year
Fashion group H&M has created a new, 50-50 joint-venture with materials recycling group Remondis to collect, sort and sell used and unwanted garments and textiles. They have called the new, Stockholm-based operation Looper Textile Co.
It will start its operation in Europe and says it is aiming to extend the use of approximately 40 million garments there before the end of 2023. It says it will innovate textile collection and sorting, testing new collection schemes and implementing automated sorting technologies such as near-infrared sorting, as well as developing a network of partners in reuse and recycling.
Chief executive of Looper, Emily Bolon, said at the launch that less than 40% of used clothes are collected in the European Union at the moment. “Consequently,” she said, “60% of post-consumer textiles go directly to waste. By building infrastructure and solutions for collection and sorting, we hope to move one step closer toward enabling circularity, thereby minimising environmental impact and improving efficiency.”
Ms Bolon was formerly head of strategic partnerships at H&M.
