At the recently held 2019 Textile Exchange Sustainability Conference, Swedish fast fashion group H&MGroup announced a large-scale study with Swedish home furnishing retail giant IKEA The work aims to investigate the chemical composition of recycled fabrics in the “post-consumer stage”. In fact, this cooperation between the two parties began as early as May 2018.
Increasing the utilization rate of recyclable materials in products and realizing 100% recyclability and regeneration of fabrics is one of the major goals of H&M Group. The company is taking a series of strategic measures through scientific research and collaborative approach to lead the fashion industry in making positive contributions to sustainability and atmospheric protection.
Since the chemical components contained in recycled fabrics have unknown risks, in order to ensure that these materials can be used safely in the recycling system, H&M believes that good chemistry must be adopted quality management measures. In view of the safety risks caused by chemical components contained in recycled fabrics, this Fabric Exchange Sustainability Conference brought together industry insiders from more than 25 countries to discuss countermeasures.
H&M Group global materials business expert Anna Biverstl and IKEA supply chain materials and innovation deployment manager Nils Mnsson shared some important findings in the report.
The research focuses on recycled cotton, polyester and wool materials in the “post-consumer stage”. More than 8,000 tests were carried out on the collected recycled fabrics to jointly develop an action plan for the use of recycled fabrics and ensure that these materials meet strict safety standards. At the same time, peers in the fashion industry have launched initiatives to increase the proportion of recycled fabrics used in products. The results of this research may help to optimize the management legislation and standardization of chemical components in recycled fabrics in the future.
In this study, the two companies collected 166 cotton fabric samples, most of which came from recycled donated clothing, but also included some leftover fabrics that were not made into ready-made clothing. . The researchers crushed the samples and spent several months conducting chemical analyzes in 8,000 tests. Preliminary findings include:
Chromium compounds (carcinogens) and heavy metals used for dyeing were found in 8.7% of the samples
Alkylphenol ethoxylates (endocrine disruptors) used in the manufacture of dyes and pigments were found in 19.3% of the samples
It’s too early to draw conclusions from early testing, so more research will follow. Nils Mnsson believes that only when the study gets more data can we draw the right conclusions to ensure that the fashion industry adopts the best method to use recycled fabrics.
It is reported that IKEA has begun to use leftover fabrics from some textile companies to make products, such as using leftover fabrics from bedding production to make carpets. However, due to huge production requirements, the company had to use some supply fabrics from unclear sources.
H&M and IKEA have carried out in-depth cooperation in the field of sustainable fashion in recent years. In December last year, TreeToTextile, an environmentally friendly fabric company supported by the two companies, announced an agreement with the Nordic paper manufacturer StoraEnso. cooperate.
