Report outlines vast potential for ‘next-gen’ materials
‘Next-gen materials’ – defined as new materials with improved environmental and/or social outcomes but at early stages of commercialisation – could make up 8% of the fashion industry’s materials by 2030, up from 1% now, according to a report by Fashion for Good and Boston Consulting Group.
To reach this percentage – which equates to around 13 million tonnes – brands, retailers and suppliers must commit to developing and buying the novel options to bring the costs down for everyone, said the partners.
Most of the ‘next gen’ growth will come from textile-to-textile polyester recycling, according to the report, although others in this basket include lab-grown cotton and bio-based materials.
They differentiate “preferred materials” as commercially established but with potential challenges (such as price or supply chain integrity) that need be addressed – examples include recycled PET from bottles or regenerative cotton.
The report outlines ways in which brands and retailers can work individually and collectively.
For instance, through the Full Circle Textile Project, Fashion for Good partners PVH Corp, Kering, and Target advanced the development of recycled MMCFs by working with Birla Cellulose, Circ, Circulose and Infinited Fiber Company.
Brands that are already investing in this sector include Inditex’s $73 million agreement with Ambercycle, Puma’s multiyear partnership with Spinnova, and H&M Group’s $600 million, seven-year agreement with textile-to-textile recycler Syre.
Katrin Ley, managing director of Fashion for Good, said: "The fashion industry stands at a critical juncture where next-generation materials are no longer just an opportunity but a business imperative. The opportunity is there, but requires individual and collective action across demand, cost, and capital levers to bend the adoption curve."
Retail giant Inditex has said by 2030, 100% of its textile products will be made exclusively from materials with a smaller environmental footprint. “Our approach to next-gen materials focuses on strategic target setting, product development support, market making and investments. Through our collaboration with next-gen innovators, we have come to appreciate that scaling these solutions is an iterative process,” said Javier Losada Montero, chief sustainability officer at Inditex.
Dorte Rye Olsen, head of sustainability at Bestseller, added: “Strategic innovation, deep collaboration across the supply chain, and transition financing are vital to achieving our goals. Building on our centralized financing model for organic cotton, we are now exploring similar approaches to scale next-generation materials and establish a new competitive parity.”
Read the full report here.
