Primark has debuted a new denim line that is intended to demonstrate what circular fashion looks like in practice. The new line is part of The Jeans Redesign, a fashion initiative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and features denim that is designed, produced, and developed in accordance with the Foundation’s goal of a circular economy for fashion. The criteria, which are based on circular economy concepts, ensure that jeans are worn more, made to be created again, and are made from safe, recycled, or renewable materials. Primark has produced a new range of jeans and denim jackets as part of the project, containing denim that is manufactured from organic cotton and recycled fibers and has been engineered to be readily recycled so that it can be transformed into new jeans after it is no longer used. Metal rivets are not used in the product, which is a popular design aspect that makes recycling jeans difficult. To guarantee that this product has a second life, the labeling also contains instructions for removing buttons and zips before recycling. Primark has unveiled a wide-reaching sustainability strategy, designed to reduce fashion waste, halve carbon emissions across its value chain and improve the lives of the people who make Primark products last month.
The new strategy commits the international fashion retailer to change the way its clothes are made without changing its affordable prices, enabling everyone to make more sustainable choices when shopping.
Primark’s new commitments will see the company ensure all its clothing is made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030 – today this accounts for 25 per cent of all clothes sold. As a next step, all men’s, women’s and kids’ entry price point t-shirts will transition to being made with sustainably sourced cotton over the next year.
Primark will make changes to its design process as it looks to ensure its clothes can be recycled at the end of their life to help reduce fashion waste. It is also committed to improving the durability of its clothing so it can be loved and worn for longer, including working to define new industry guidelines on durability with WRAP, the UK charity committed to accelerating the fashion industry’s move to circularity.
