Swedish firms H&M and IKEA gather data to further circularity goals

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.

 

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.#

“To reach both companies’ goals to only use 100 per cent recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030, a key step is to find clean and reliable sources of recyclable materials,” Swedish multinational retailer, H&M stated. “Collaboration is essential to enable real change within the textile industry, and during the autumn of 2020, more brands joined the study as contributors. With all involved companies’ size and presence, there is a great opportunity to lead the way. Even though the study is now finalised, a lot of work still needs to be done.”

 

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.#

“With industry collaboration, we can overcome common challenges on our way to transform to a circular business. This study has enabled us to share data through a digital platform, creating transparency and knowledge sharing, as well as creating facts to support us in taking our next steps on our journey to only use recycled and renewable materials,” Mirjam Luc, project leader for Recycled Textiles at IKEA of Sweden, said in a press release.

 

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.#

“Post-consumer cotton, wool, and polyester waste sourced from different regions of the world were tested, resulted in a total of 70,080 data points. 2.5 per cent of the data points showed undesirable detections, but less than 1 per cent of the data points exceeded AFIRM RSL2 limits,” statement further added. “Post-consumer polyester samples had the widest variety of substances detected. In post-consumer wool samples almost all samples contained at least one substance that failed against AFIRM RSL limits. Tackling the presence of legacy chemicals and hazardous chemicals in recycled materials will be key in realising circularity within the fashion and textile industry.”

 

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.#

“To achieve fully circular and future-proof products, legacy chemicals must be avoided from start. Only through industry collaboration and a transparent, harmonised hazard assessment methodology for all chemicals and materials – can we be proactive and secure safe and sustainable products for a toxic-free textile future,” Linn Farhadi, project manager for Recycled Textiles at H&M Group, said.

 

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.#

H&M Group and IKEA will use the findings of the study to support public policy to enable usage of recycled textiles, which are safe to use. The results will also be used to advocate for establishing an acknowledged and harmonised hazard assessment methodology for chemicals used in production.

 

Through a broad industry collaboration, H&M and Inter IKEA have created a large-scale databank to understand potentials and challenges with recycled textile from a chemical contamination perspective. H&M and Inter IKEA will use these findings to increase knowledge around chemical content in recycled textiles and to impact legislation around circular economy.#

“It’s great to see companies working together to gain increased knowledge about the chemical content of recycled textiles. We hope that studies like these will result in cleaner material flows and also motivate legislators to speed up the work with phasing out hazardous substances in products,” Theresa Kjell, senior policy advisor at ChemSec, said in the release.