Fast fashion brand Primark has brought a new denim collection in line with ‘The Jeans Redesign project’ – a project developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular initiative – designed and created to show what circular fashion means in practice.
Denim produced as part of the scheme aligns with the organization’s vision of a circular fashion economy, complete with guidelines that look to ensure jeans are used more and are made from safe and recycled inputs.
The clothes are made to be used more, made to be made again, and are made from safe and recycled or renewable inputs.
The jeans are made from 70% organic cotton, 29% recycled cotton and 1% elastane and the jackets are made from 80% organic cotton and 20% recycled cotton.
The new denim products are also metal rivet-free, a common design element that can make jeans difficult to recycle.
Labelling also includes guidelines on removing buttons and zips before sending to recycle to ensure this product has another life.
The new circular denim collection follows on from the launch of Primark’s sustainability strategy launched in September.
The new strategy includes plans to reduce fashion waste, halve carbon emissions across its value chain and improve the lives of the people who make Primark products.
“The Jeans Redesign demonstrates that it is possible to create garments fit for a circular economy today, and this is just the beginning,” said Make Fashion Circular’s lead, Laura Balmond, in a release.
“By taking these first steps, organisations like Primark build the confidence to explore and learn how to put product on the market aligned with circular economy principles,” Balmond added.
The collection closely follows the retailer’s sustainability strategy, launched in September, outlining plans to halve its carbon emissions across its value chain and improve the lives of its garment workers. Nine commitments were stated in the report, including the implementation of recycled and sustainably sourced materials in all of its clothing by 2030.
All signatories – including the likes of H&M, Levi’s and Tommy Hilfiger – pledge to work by guidelines on garment durability, material health, recyclability and traceability.
Primark’s achievement makes it the fifth firm to launch a denim collection that meets the criteria, following in the footsteps of Crystal Group, Tommy Hilfiger, Frame and American Eagle Outfitters.
