Page 78 - January-February-2021

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H&M coming
up with Green
Machine to
produce
garments
from
recycled
materials
The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and closed-loop where all the elements are reused time
Apparel (HKRITA) in partnership with the H&M and again. The industrial-scale Green Machine will
Foundation, developed the hydrothermal separation be able to process up to 1.5 tons per day. PT
system (The Green Machine) to manufacture Kahatex will first start using waste produced from
garments for H&M’S brands Monki, creating its manufacturing like difficult-to-recycle blended fibers,
first-ever circular line made out of recycled polyester. yarn, and fabric as feedstock to create garments.
Jenny Fagerlin, Sustainability Director at Monki, said, Edwin Keh, Chief Executive Officer of HKRITA,
“As a fashion brand we need to do our part when it mentioned how the new normal had driven us in a
comes to closing the loop. With eyes wide open, green direction. “In collaboration with our partners in
Monki will walk into this climate-decade and be part the supply chain, we have created a system that at
of the solution. If we can prolong the life of our products scale will achieve two very important aims: first, it will
for as long as possible and decrease the usage of provide a new and commercially viable industrial
virgin sources, it’s a huge step in the right direction.” recycling solution and second, it will help us move
closer to a sustainable future.”
In 2020, Monki released its first collection from the
Green Machine technology, created at the smaller H&M has been working hard on sustainability to fight
Hong Kong system. Based on this, a more extensive their fast fashion reputation, with a range of
pilot programme will be undertaken in 2021. It will be measures implemented to advance circularity. For
operated in PT Kahatex, an established textile instance, as part of its Bottle2Fashion project, H&M
manufacturer in Indonesia. The entire system runs on recently collaborated with Danone Aqua and
just heat, water, pressure, and a biodegradable transformed plastic bottle waste from the shores of
green chemical. According to the H&M Foundation, it Indonesia into recycled polyester, the same material
doesn’t create secondary pollution as it’s a used for its latest kidswear collection.
January/February 2021
79
Unspun unveils
its most
sustainable
jeans with 3D
body scan
technology
The San Francisco and Hong Kong-based
company launched Genesis jeans, a line of
men’s and women’s jeans that aligns with the
Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign
principles for a circular economy and employs its
unique body-scanning technology.
“Made-to-order” and “sustainable” were two
product buzzwords reserved for just a fraction of
consumers with deep pockets at one point in
fashion. However, Robotics and digital apparel
company Unspun is doing its part to democratize
custom and eco-friendly style with its new jeans
collection.
The fabric is 99% GOTS certified organic cotton
denim and 1 percent Lycra and is washed using
100 percent recycled water and
Greenscreen-approved chemicals. The
non-electroplated raw zinc buttons by French
trims manufacturer Dorlet can be removed and
reused, while threads by Resortecs, a brand of
threads that dissolve at high heat, make
recycling more feasible. Unspun adds a
transparency element to the collection by
including fashion tech firm Eon Group’s
scannable CircularIDs to the jeans.
Each pair of jeans is made on-demand based on
a customer’s 3D body scan, accessible through
the company’s app or at one of its three
locations in the U.S. and Hong Kong. This
ensures that the jeans have both a sustainable
beginning and end.
January/February 2021