Icebreaker moves closer to plastic-free goal as per its latest transparency report

Icebreaker, a natural performance clothing company headquartered in New Zealand, has issued the fourth edition of its annual Transparency Report, claiming that it has made 91% progress toward its ambitious plastic-free by 2023 goal.

Icebreaker makes natural, high-performance outdoor clothing as an alternative to plastic-based synthetic gear. The brand has revealed that, in 2021, 91% of Icebreaker’s overall fiber composition is now merino or plant-based, whereas compared to 2020 more than 65% of the styles were made with 100% merino or plant-based fibers.

Icebreaker expects to sell more than 1.3 million items of 100% merino or plant-based clothing in 2021 alone. The Tech Lite shirt, Quantum mid-layer, and ZoneKnit hoodie are all composed of 100% merino wool.

Icebreaker brand president, Jan Van Mossevelde said that like many customers across the world, they found themselves battling the encroachment of plastic into their life and their product line. As a result, they made a bold commitment in 2019. By 2023, they want to make 100% of their clothes out of merino wool or plant-based fibers. They’re working on options for the extremely little quantity of petrochemical synthetics that can’t be eliminated, including utilizing bio-based fibers for the time being.

Icebreaker adds that becoming plastic-free is more essential than ever because the epidemic has seen an increase in single-use plastic consumption as more people shop online, use throwaway protective gear, and buy bagged or wrapped vegetables.

Other plastic-free initiatives mentioned in the report include the launch of plastic-free swing tags in 2019, saving more than 2 million units of plastic per year, and the launch of plastic-free full-body mannequins manufactured from the non-toxic paper pulp in 2020.

Icebreaker has also announced a number of efforts to help it continue on its sustainable path, including a focus on regenerative agriculture, which involves working with producers to conserve and rehabilitate the environment, with the goal of enlisting 100% of contracted growers by 2023.

It also wants to extend its relationship with Finnish start-up Spinnova, which was established in 2020, to create bio-based elastane and nylon by partnering with top yarn makers and bio-feedstock suppliers, as well as pioneer yarn mixing merino and cellulosic fibers.

By August 2022, the garment company will replace all-new back neck and pip labels with ones produced of 100% natural fibers, choosing organic cotton fabric printed labels over synthetic woven labels.

Icebreaker published its first transparency report in 2017 and has been updating it ever since, showing its progress toward becoming a truly sustainable company.