Going beyond cotton.

The New Cotton Project harnesses collaboration and cutting-edge technology to create circular fashion

The project

In a world first for the fashion industry, twelve pioneering players are coming together to break new ground by demonstrating a circular model for commercial garment production.

Over a three-year period, textile waste is collected and sorted, and regenerated into a new, man-made cellulosic fiber that looks and feels like cotton – a “new cotton” – using Infinited Fiber Company’s textile fiber regeneration technology. The fibres will be used to create different types of fabrics for clothing that will be designed, manufactured and sold by global brand adidas and companies in the H&M Group. The project also aims to act as an inspiration and steppingstone for further, even bigger circular initiatives in the industry going forward.

Learn more in the latest press release

Project Participants

Each of the 12 participants in this project has a unique role in defining a blueprint for circularity in textiles. Infinited Fiber Company created its unique, cellulose-based textile fibres (cellulose carbamate fibres) out of post-consumer textile waste. Frankenhuis and Xamk worked on the pre-processing and research for pre-treatment of textile waste. Manufacturers Inovafil, Tekstina and Kipas used the regenerated fibres to produce yarns, woven fabrics and denim respectively. REvolve Waste, RISE and Aalto University, collected and provide data, conducted research and analysis. Fashion for Good lead on the communications to the industry. Design and manufacture of the fibres into clothing was done by companies in the H&M group and adidas.

Learn more