Zara partners with Circ to launch recycled textile women’s collection

Zara, a Spanish retail clothing chain, has collaborated with Circ, the fashion technology firm that recycles textile waste back into new fibers, to launch a new women’s capsule collection made with recycled textiles obtained from polycotton textile waste. The collection is available across 11 markets.

Polycotton, a combination of polyester and cotton, has been deconstructed by Zara and Circ into new recycled raw materials to make new clothing. According to a joint press statement from Zara and Circ, Circ’s recycling technology can separate polycotton mixed textile waste and recover both cellulosic and synthetic fibers.

Lyocell clothing created with 50% recycled polycotton textile waste and polyester clothing made with 43% recycled polycotton textile waste are also included in the collection. The line features on-trend, lightweight burgundy clothing that is made to be worn often, under the creative leadership of the Zara Woman design team.

Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ, said that they believe that their partnership with Zara signals a seismic shift in how the fashion industry and consumers view what is possible in sustainability. They are making significant strides toward making circularity the new standard by putting recycled polyester and lyocell clothes made from polycotton textile waste in the hands of consumers for the first time. The clothing in our closets will be created from recycled materials that can be recycled repeatedly in the future, according to Circ and Zara.

Javier Losada, Inditex chief sustainability officer, said that this unique collection shows that developing novel fibers and working with subject-matter specialists are two important pillars in promoting the circularity of the textile industry. The technique developed by Circ makes it possible to efficiently separate and recycle any polyester-cotton mix, which is one of the most widely used textile blends in garments. At Zara and Inditex, they aspire to lead the evolution of their industry by designing fashion collections anchored in circularity.