RE&UP Recycling Technologies’ Next-Gen Cotton powers a new collection from Zalando’s private labels, marking a step forward in bringing textile-to-textile recycled fibers into commercial fashion production. Launching on Zalando in August, the collection comprises five t-shirts across YOURTURN by Zalando and Even&Odd by Zalando, made from a circular-knit fabric blending 80% organic cotton with 20% RE&UP Next-Gen Cotton — textile-to-textile recycled fiber produced from textile waste. This is the first time RE&UP’s recycled fibers feature in Zalando’s private label assortment.
As the fashion industry transitions to scale textile-to-textile recycling, RE&UP is providing the essential infrastructure to move beyond the pilot phase. The initiative represents an effort to address the scaling challenge, providing a blueprint for brands to integrate nextgen fibers without compromising on quality.
RE&UP’s proprietary process transforms pre- and post-consumer textile waste through sorting, deconstruction, and decolorization. The result is a range of recycled materials that meet the technical, performance, and traceability standards required for commercial textile production.
“Industrial-scale circularity is no longer aspirational but operational,” said Özgür Atsan, Chief Commercial Officer of RE&UP. “Through collaborations like this, brands can move from pilot projects to repeatable, scalable production with confidence.”
“Zalando’s Private Label brands are where entry price points, quality and new materials come together for our customers. With RE&UP we’ve built a commercial t-shirt range using a 20% Next-Gen Cotton blend that meets our strict quality standards — the exact test any next-gen material has to pass before we scale it.” said Frederic Teufel, Commercial
Director Private Labels at Zalando.
This collaboration signals a turning point: industrial-scale recycling is now a reliable, commercially viable alternative to virgin inputs. By merging proven traceability with high quality fibers and operational capacity, RE&UP is empowering brands to make circularity a practical, permanent reality within their supply chains – setting a new benchmark for the future of the fashion sector.
