The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Swedish textile recycler Renewcell said Sunday it filed for bankruptcy after failing to secure sufficient long-term funding to continue operations.
The company launched a strategic review in November, after it emerged that demand for its recycled raw material was much weaker than expected. It managed to raise $10 million in short-term funding from investors and lenders (including its biggest shareholder, H&M) in December. But efforts to secure further investment have proved unsuccessful.
The situation marks a blow to efforts to introduce new, more sustainable materials to the market at scale. Renewcell, which developed technology to recycle used cotton textiles into a feedstock for yarns like viscose and lyocell, was an early mover in the space and viewed as a litmus test for others.
“This is a sad day for the environment, our employees, our shareholders, and our other stakeholders, and it is a testament to the lack of leadership and necessary pace of change in the fashion industry” Renewcell board chairman Michael Berg said in a statement.
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What’s Blocking the Rise of More Sustainable Materials?
Weaker-than-expected demand for Swedish textile recycler Renewcell’s recycled cellulose pulp has highlighted broader hurdles challenging efforts to lessen fashion’s environmental footprint.
Europe’s Parliament has signed off rules that will make brands more accountable for what happens in their supply chains, ban products made with forced labour and set new environmental standards for the design and disposal of products.
Fashion’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier said it found no evidence of non-compliance at farms covered by its standard, but acknowledged weaknesses in its monitoring approach.
As they move to protect their intellectual property, big brands are coming into conflict with a growing class of up-and-coming designers working with refashioned designer gear.
The industry needs to ditch its reliance on fossil-fuel-based materials like polyester in order to meet climate targets, according to a new report from Textile Exchange.