LIFE RE-TIGHTS is an innovative project promoted by Calzedonia in collaboration with Golden Lady, UNION, Asendia Italy, and YTRES to tackle the environmental impact of the clothing industry, in particular the problem of tights recycling.
Tights, composed of polyamide and elastomer, are difficult to recycle due to the complexity of separating the two fibres. The LIFE RE-TIGHTS project was set up in response to this challenge, with the aim of promoting a circular economy capable of transforming used garments into new high quality and cost-competitive textile fibres.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Textile waste reduction: recycle used tights.
Advanced technology: create an innovative plant for the separation and recovery of synthetic fibres.
Circular economy: use recycled materials to produce new tights while maintaining quality, comfort and competitiveness.
HOW THE PROJECT WORKS
- Collection of used tights: the items are collected in Calzedonia shops, thanks to logistics organised by Asendia Italy which ensures the minimum logistic impact possible.
- Separation and recycling: the core of the project is the separation and recycling plant developed in collaboration with UNION S.p.A. This plant represents a fundamental technological innovation, allowing the separation of synthetic fibres and their recovery to create high quality regenerated materials.
- Production of the new tights: Golden Lady recovers the fibres, producing a polyamide yarn comparable to virgin tights. Calzedonia and YTRES use the regenerated yarn to make new tights, items able to respond to the fashion demands of the moment, as well as guaranteeing comfort and maintaining an excellent price-quality ratio.
- Environmental assessment: a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is conducted to analyse and optimise the environmental impact of the product and the production phases.
MAIN PARTNERS
- Golden Lady: project coordinator, responsible for recycling and the creation of regenerated yarns.
- Calzedonia: promoter of the campaign, production management and dissemination of the new collections.
- UNION S.p.A: technological development of the separation and recycling plant.
- Asendia Italy: management of collection logistics.
- YTRES: processing and packaging of the final products.
Thanks to this integrated process, LIFE RE-TIGHTS allows to close the lifecycle of tights, reducing textile waste and promoting a sustainable circular economy.
For more information, read the full article here: Life re-tights
