January 22, 2025

Circularity in Action

As we enter the new year, we reflect on the past, evaluating how our actions align with our values and setting goals to remedy the gaps. Ultrafabrics’ own priority of bringing about a healthier future for both people and planet guides all that we do, and 2024 was no exception. We made significant progress- all Ultrafabrics open-line materials are officially PFAS-free and 100% of the Ultrafabrics branded portfolio contains at least 50% recycled and/or rapidly renewable materials—but we’re not stopping there. We are reaffirming our commitment to ambitious targets, such as reducing overall emissions by 42% by 2030 and incorporating at least 50% rapidly renewable and/or recycled resources into our Uf Select portfolio by the same year.

Recycled inputs, alongside the principles of a circular economy, is a cornerstone of our sustainability journey. Our use of REPREVE®, an eco-friendly yarn engineered from discarded plastic bottles and post-industrial waste, is an ideal example. Similarly, our Mottainai program, inspired by the Japanese concept of valuing waste, has donated over 30,000 yards of leftover material to organizations that upcycle it into new products. For some inspiration, we’re highlighting two recent design projects that showcase just how innovative a circular economy can be.

Hemingway Design Studio collaborated with charity retailer Traid to redesign one of its London locations, emphasizing circularity. Traid, which resells donated clothing, has put over 228 million pieces of clothing back into use, preventing the release of 622,000 tons of CO₂ and saving 105 million cubic meters of water. Hemingway’s redesign features furniture crafted from unsalvageable clothes, created in collaboration with designer James Shaw. A bench for trying on shoes is made from yellow, green, and blue denim and corduroy pants. Even the handles on the changing room doors are made from recycled clothes. Each piece exudes a fun and carefree aesthetic, many boasting a bespeckled, multi-colored look lent by the macerated fibers.

Photo courtesy of Unshattered & Deezen

WHOD design studio has unveiled Debris, a game akin to Jenga with a sustainable twist. The balance tower pieces are made from ocean plastic waste, bound together with a VOC-free, water-based agent. Fragments of marine plastic, translucent yellow, red, blue, green, and orange in hue, create pops of color against the beige base-grain, which resembles beach sand. The plastic was collected from Japan’s Makuhari Beach, the place that inspired WHOD designers Shoma Furui and Kem Kobayashi to create Debris to begin with. Walking along the Chiba Prefecture beach, the designers were struck by the amount of waste they saw embedded in the sand, which they knew would ultimately erode into harmful microplastics. The game itself is meant to be a metaphor: build-up of plastic waste only ends in destruction.

Photo courtesy of Designboom

REPREVE® is just one avenue through which Ultrafabrics contributes to a more sustainable future. Every yard of collections that include REPREVE® polyester yarn reuses 8 recycled plastic bottles, helping to reduce waste and improve circularity. Explore these materials, all incorporating REPREVE®, along with a selection of our favorite greens: