In a major breakthrough for sustainable fashion, BASF and Inditex have teamed up to create the world's first jacket made entirely from recycled nylon waste. This revolutionary fabric, called loopamid, offers a closed-loop solution for nylon apparel, marking a significant step towards a more circular textile industry.
The 100% loopamid jacket, currently available at Zara stores worldwide, embodies a "design for recycling" approach. Every component, from the fabric and buttons to the zipper and filling, is crafted from this innovative recycled nylon.
BASF's cutting-edge technology behind loopamid allows textile-to-textile recycling of both post-industrial and post-consumer waste. It tolerates various fabric mixtures, including PA6 and elastane, and the recycled fibers retain the same quality as virgin polyamide. This opens doors for large-scale nylon recycling, a long-standing challenge in the industry.
"BASF has reached a milestone towards circularity in fashion," says Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva, President of BASF's Monomers division. "Loopamid has the potential to revolutionize the PA6 market, and we're scaling up production to meet demand."
Inditex played a crucial role in integrating loopamid into various garment components. They partnered with manufacturers like RadiciGroup, YKK, and Velcro to transform the polymer into yarns, zippers, and fasteners. ModaRe, a clothing take-back program, provided the recycled textile feedstock.
"Innovation is key to a more responsible fashion industry," says Javier Losada, Inditex's Chief Sustainability Officer. "This collaboration shows how we can turn waste into a resource. But to truly close the loop, we need improved collecting and recycling capacities for post-consumer waste."
Both BASF and Inditex have ambitious sustainability goals. BASF aims to double its circular economy solutions sales to €17 billion by 2030, while Inditex targets 100% of its products to be made from sustainable materials by the same year. Loopamid marks a significant step towards achieving these goals and paves the way for a more sustainable future for fashion.
