In an effort to scale its circularity initiatives, the sportswear business Lululemon has launched a new multi-year partnership with Samsara Eco, a company that recycles textiles into new textiles.
The company claimed that by working together, it hopes to use the startup’s circular manufacturing process to produce nylon and polyester that can be endlessly recycled from its own products.
High-performance nylon and polyester mixes can be recycled by Samsara Eco, and the company’s partners will use leftover clothing to develop new materials, bringing “lower-impact alternatives” to the performance garment market.
Speaking on the collaboration, Yogendra Dandapure, Lululemon’s vice president, raw materials innovation, said in a release, “Nylon remains our biggest opportunity to achieve our 2030 sustainable product goals.
“This partnership demonstrates what’s possible through collective innovation to solve unmet needs.”
The collaboration expands on Lululemon’s ‘Be Planet’ objectives, which call for the company to establish a circular ecosystem by 2030, notably through the use of sustainable materials, re-commerce initiatives, and textile-to-textile recycling.
Samsara Eco’s CEO and founder, Paul Riley, commented, “We’re proud that this partnership is disrupting the apparel industry. Samsara Eco’s ability to infinitely recycle blended textiles including nylon, provides an important solution to tackle the challenge of textile waste.”
