Stella McCartney's fashion label is teaming up with biological recycling firm Protein Evolution, Inc.
Stella McCartney is showing that complex fabrics can be re-used
The partnership will see unwanted polyester and nylon transformed into "good-as-new" products.
PEI uses enzyme-based technology to recycle synthetic fabrics and plastic while reducing its carbon footprint.
Scott Stankey, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at PEI, commented: “Our proprietary biological recycling process has the power to enable circularity efforts across the textile industry. By partnering with Stella McCartney, we are able to test our platform in a real-world setting and collectively learn how to seamlessly integrate PEI’s technology into existing manufacturing processes.
“This collaboration will ultimately demonstrate for the first time how complex fabric types, such as nylon and polyester blends, can be fully re-used to make new plastic material in a low-energy, cost-effective way.”
McCartney, 51, added: “The dreadful amount of fast fashion manufactured that ends up in landfills is absolutely astonishing, both in terms of the natural resources consumed and the sheer amount squandered. Circular and regenerative solutions provide an upbeat view of the future of fashion, and we must take action now to safeguard our world for future generations.”
Earlier this year, Stella launched the first luxury bag made from mushroom leather.
Stella previously called on fast-fashion retailers to cut their produce to help flatten their carbon footprint, and she insisted it's still possible to have "a sexy, well-designed" product and make money with a "cleaner, more sustainable" approach.
She explained: “Fast fashion [brands] obviously need to reduce what they produce.
“I want to show my industry that you can have a business model in working in a cleaner, more sustainable way. You don't have to kill and don't have to cut down rainforests, and you can have a sexy, well-designed, lasting, beautiful bag. I'm here to show that you can still make money.”
Sir Paul McCartney's daughter said those who are "killing animals" and "cutting down our rainforests" have blood on their hands and should feel guilty.
She added: “There's this kind of mindset, that killing animals just for handbags, slaughtering them, skinning them, cutting down our rainforests is fine, that's capitalism, and that's how we should make money. I'm like - that should be guilt, you should feel bad when you work in that way.”
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