Zara Owner Inditex has committed to a three-year partnership worth more than £85 mn (100 mn euro) to buy 30 percent of the recycled fibre to be produced by Infinited Fiber Company in a push to use more sustainable materials. Inditex added that the purchase commitment will support the Finnish company’s plans to open its first large capacity factory in 2024, when it is due to start buying the Infinna premium recycled fibre made entirely of textile waste.
As part of this agreement, Zara is also launching a limited edition capsule, in collaboration with the Spanish NGO Cáritas, Zara’s clothing collection program partner along with Infinited’s textile waste regeneration technology.
This collaboration is part of Inditex’s Sustainability Innovation Hub, an open-innovation platform that works alongside start-ups, academic institutions and tech centres to promote initiatives for new materials, technologies and processes that reduce the environmental footprint of fashion products and advance more sustainable and circular solutions.
Javier Losada, Inditex Chief Sustainability Officer said: “We truly believe innovation is key for the competitive circular future of the fashion industry, which is why we are actively working to find solutions, and searching for new partnerships, processes and materials to achieve textile-to-textile recycling.
Collaborating with others in new innovative initiatives -such as Next Generation fibers like Infinna – is vital to carrying out the transformation our industry needs.”
Petri Alava, CEO and Co-Founder of Infinited Fiber Company, added: “Inditex is one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, and this deal is a significant step towards realising our ambition of making Infinna a mainstream textile material of the future. It is such a joy to see the beautifully designed pieces created from sustainably produced upcycled-fibre now brought to market for the enjoyment of Zara’s customers.
“They are yet another demonstration of the versatility of Infinna, and of what can be achieved when great technology is combined with great design. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with Inditex to make textile circularity an everyday reality.”
