Stockholm, Sweden
The
award-winning in-store recycling machine Looop has the potential to take the
sustainable textile industry by storm. Developed by Hong Kong Research
Institute of Textiles and Apparel, in association with the non-profit H&M
Foundation, Looop won the Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards under
the experimental category.
Placed
at an H&M store in Stockholm, Looop lets customers drop off their old
clothes at the store to be converted to new garments every day. The machine first
cleans the old material, followed by shredding and spinning it into yarn which
is then used to knit a new product of the customer’s choice. The customisation
happens via an app and the process is priced at $17. The recycling process
takes five to eight hours and does not use water or chemicals.
H&M
is planning to use the in-store machine, designed and installed by the creative
agency AKQA, to demonstrate the potential of apparel recycling to customers,
explain the challenges of textile waste and educate them about opting for
recycled clothes.
Currently,
only around 1% of recycled clothing is turned into new apparels. All the used
clothes from fast fashion brands and outlets usually end up in landfills.
Similar to H&M, other players are also experimenting with new approaches to
fabric
recycling.
Source – Fast Company
Image Source:H&M Website
Also Read:
https://indiantextilejournal.com/latest-textile-industry-news/new-tech-to-recycle-blended-textiles-