Mango is taking a new step in its sustainability efforts with the launch of its first denim capsule that incorporates circular design criteria.
Model and eco-activist Indira Scott will front the campaign.
“I ask a fashion brand these days to be honest with their customers. Because I know it can be hard to fully change something from the ways that you’ve been doing it, because you’re accustomed to it, but nobody in any case in life ever grows being stagnant or not changing. I think there is something beautiful in changing and growing,” said Scott.
“For everyone denim should be so important because it is one of the easiest pieces we can recycle. As well as passing it down, you can always upcycle it, too,” she said of the durable fabric.
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If “incorporates circular design criteria” sounds like jargon, here’s what it means: the capsule collection will be 100 percent cotton, at least 20 percent of which is recycled, and the company has removed rivets and exterior branding labels to make the pieces more recyclable.
Tech is also lending a hand with the jeans being 3D-designed in an effort to minimize the creation of samples and waste during product development.
The use of 100 percent cotton means the jeans can be more easily turned into new cotton garments.
While consumers place their used clothes in “recycling” bins and think they get turned into new t-shirts, in reality recycling blended textiles is difficult and rare. Fiber-to-fiber recycling facilities don’t exist many places or at scale. Mixed-fiber textiles, such as cotton and spandex or elastane blends, are often “downcycled” into mattress padding or insulation.
Mango is taking the first step to incorporate these new criteria in anticipation of the European Union’s circular design laws that are set to take effect in 2030. While still a few years away, companies are experimenting with new methods and approaches to build into their business model and infrastructure.
The capsule is one of the first steps in Mango’s new sustainability strategy, “Sustainable Vision 2030,” unveiled in December. It set its interim targets for 2025, when it hopes 100 percent of its cotton will be sustainable, 100 percent of its polyester will be recycled and 100 percent of its tree-based cellulose will be traceable.
By 2030 it aims to have most of its products and textiles from recycled or sustainable sources.
It also aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent and its Scope 3 GHG emissions by 35 percent by 2030, using 2019 as the base year.
Mango uses Spanish company Jeanologia to calculate the Environmental Impact Measurement score of its denim.
As part of its traceability efforts, the company kicked off the year by publishing a list of its Tier Three factories on Jan. 5.
Mango produces 139 million garments a year and continues its global expansion, with a plan to open 40 new stores in the U.S. within the next two years.