Recover™ produces low-impact, high-quality cotton fiber. We are committed to achieving circular fashion for all, for that reason all of our products are developed and measured by their environmental impact and are designed to fit a circular fashion system.
Circular fashion for all
Using Recover™ recycled cotton fibers drastically reduces the environmental impact of cotton garments and is an essential strategy to achieve the ambitious climate targets that the industry has set for 2030.
Recover™ creates recycled cotton fibers and cotton fiber blends with best-in-class sustainability performance. We measure the environmental impact of all our products and processes and are dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint to help achieve the sustainability targets and ambitions that the industry has set. Our commitment to circularity, however, goes beyond sustainable and responsible production of recycled fibers.
Recover™ strives to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations. We also participate in several forward-thinking industry initiatives that help drive systemic change by establishing the infrastructure, tools, standards, policies and mindsets that are needed to achieve our vision of ‘circular fashion for all’.
We have already crossed several planetary boundaries and are rapidly approaching others. Each year, we produce more than 100 billion garments, while we dispose over 48 million tons of clothing of which 73% goes straight to landfill or incineration. With global fashion consumption projected to grow 62% from 2015 to 2030, so will its associated environmental footprint. At the same time, the fashion industry needs to reduce its emissions with 50% by 2030 to align with the 1.5-degree pathway. This means there is a huge gap to close. Accelerated adoption of recycled cotton by the industry is one of the key strategies that can be applied to achieve this ambitious target.
References:
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, 2017.
Global Fashion Agenda and BCG, Pulse of the Fashion Industry, 2017
McKinsey & Company and Global Fashion Agenda, Fashion on Climate, 2020
Recover™ is a leader in circular fashion. We believe that transparency is the principal driver of change in the industry. Recover™ measures and reports on the environmental performance and social compliance of its fiber products and facilities. All claims are supported by third-party certifications and standards as well as studies that Recover™ has conducted using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) methodology. Recover™ uses Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification - the current industry standard for tracing recycled content - to ensure traceability of recycled content from the waste suppliers up to the final product.
Recover™’s LCA data has been submitted, verified and scored by the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI). Higg MSI enables brands and manufacturers to measure and score the environmental impact of materials used in creating textile products, compare their products to the rest of the industry and make better decisions about material use. As member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), Recover™ is dedicated to use and contribute to the Higg Index tools to enable the industry to understand the positive impact of using Recover™ recycled cotton. In addition to Higg MSI, Recover™ addresses the environmental and social performance of its facilities through the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) and Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM) assessments.
According to the Higg MSI, Recover™ recycled fiber generously outperforms conventional cotton and organic cotton, across 5 and 4 impact categories respectively: Global warming potential, Eutrophication, Water scarcity, Fossil fuel depletion and Chemistry.
These results were calculated using the Higg MSI (Higg.org) V3.3
Compared to a conventional poly/cotton fabric, RBlue fabric (52/48) improves Eutrophication by 78%, water scarcity by 98% and Fossil fuel depletion by 47%.
These results were calculated using the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI at msi.higg.org) V3.3 developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). They were calculated by Recover™ and are not verified.
We partner with other committed actors in the industry, developing sustainable and circular solutions to drive the fashion industry towards a closed-loop system.
We are part of
Recover™ is part of Textiles 2030, the WRAP’s initiative to accelerate the fashion and textiles industry’s move towards circularity and system change in the UK. Recover™ collaborates on carbon, water and circular textile targets, and also contributes to national policy discussions with UK governments to shape Extended Producer Responsibility and other critical regulatory developments.
Recover™ is member of Textile Exchange, a global non for profit with a robust membership representing leading brands, retailers, and suppliers. Textile Exchange is positively impacting the climate through accelerating the use of preferred materials across the global textile industry.
As members of the Circular Fashion Partnership led by Global Fashion Agenda, we are working to achieve a long-term, scalable transition to a circular fashion system in Bangladesh, a country heavily reliant on the importation of textile fiber. Thanks to new analysis we can now see the significant value that would come from implementing this system and utilizing textile waste more efficiently there.
Recover™ is part of the Steering Committee of Accelerating Circularity, an apparel industry collaborative project, which has launched efforts to accelerate textile industry’s move from linear to circular. Its project partners are ensuring broad stakeholder representation by collaborating with industry organizations on this work including sharing information, amplifying key messages & streamlining of efforts.
Sustainable Apparel Coalition is the apparel, footwear, and textile industry's leading alliance for sustainable production. As members of the SAC and leaders in sustainability, we have a continued commitment to improving our environmental performance and share the vision of the coalition to creating a more sustainable, equitable, and just world for all.
Recover™ joins the United Nations Global Compact as part of our commitment towards being a responsible company and achieving circular fashion for all. As a participant we commit to operate responsibly, in alignment with universal sustainability principles, take actions to support society, and report to the UN Global Compact annually on our ongoing efforts.
Recover™ is a member of World Circular Textiles Day, an ever-evolving roadmap towards full circularity by 2050, as we are dedicated to making circularity a reality.
Recover™ is a Business Council member of Rehubs, a joint initiative unveiled by Euratex to upcycle textile waste and circular materials all over Europe. The aim is to create 5 hubs to process textile waste and become European coordination centers.
The Denim Deal unites parties in the Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) value chain and stimulates them to work together for a period of three years to achieve a more sustainable future in denim.
The Policy Hub unites the Apparel and Footwear industry to speak in one voice and propose policies that accelerate circular practices. Launched in 2019, the Policy Hub is supported by Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), Textiles Exchange (TE), and the ZDHC Foundation. The Policy Hub uses this joint knowledge to advocate for better and more efficient policies that correspond to a shared vision– the circular apparel and footwear industry.
American Apparel & Footwear Association represent more than 1,000 world famous name brands, retailers, and manufacturers. AAFA is the trusted public policy and political voice of the U.S. apparel and footwear industry and helps its members navigate the complex regulatory environment offering opportunities for networking and collaboration.
As leaders in sustainability, we commit to improving the environmental performance of our products and solutions. We are third party certified and aligned with the industry standards.
Sustainability Report 2021
In honor of World Environment Day yesterday, we release our 2021 Sustainability Report following the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) core framework, outlining this strategy, and maintaining our commitment towards a better future.
