New Zealand-based outdoorwear brand Icebreaker has signed a partnership deal with textile recycling company Upparel amid recent regulations around textile waste reduction in global markets.
The brand will add recycling bins in Icebreaker Touch Lab stores from March 27, which is a first for Upparel in the New Zealand market. Icebreaker has six full-price retail stores in NZ and one in Australia, alongside four outlets across the two countries.
Consumers can donate used clothing that will be reused or repurposed into a unique recycled fibre that is used to create products such as home insulation, couch cushioning and pet beds. Icebreaker is also giving $10 store credit for any donation made.
Icebreaker brand marketing and communications manager Krysia Drecki said it is important for the brand to consider the full lifecycle of its clothing.
“Essentially, we need to do better, and consumers are really demanding and asking about what they can do with products at the end of its life as well,” Drecki said. “That's where Upparel is the perfect partner to bring this to life.”
Drecki said Upparel aims to reduce the number of textiles that end up in landfill by reusing or repurposing clothing through consumer donations.
“Anything that is still fit for purpose, or can be worn, gets donated to be reused or go to someone who might need it most,” Drecki said. “Clothes that are deemed not fit for purpose, or can't be worn anymore, essentially gets shredded up and repurposed into new materials.”
Drecki said the move with Upparel comes amid new regulations around textile waste reduction in global markets, specifically within Europe.
“We often find that Europe's kind of that leader in the sustainability space,” Drecki said. “We see mandates coming from the European Commission to ensure compliance of apparel brands and manufacturers to ensure certain sustainability attributes of products, such as durability, chemical compliance, or end-of-life life management - ensuring that they're upheld to a high standard.
“At Icebreaker, we’re really happy to see this higher accountability for our industry, and we truly welcome that guidance from authorities to reduce the impact of our industry overall, and making brands accountable for that.
“There is so much greenwashing out there, and so it's a positive move in the right direction to be held accountable for some of the claims that we're making within the industry.”
Meanwhile, the outdoorwear brand has just released its latest AW23 collection, including 304 new items alongside 275 carryover items - which are products that are part of its core range brought forward season on season.
Drecki said it has included three new material innovations, including Shell+, Merino Loft and Real Fleece.
“Our Shell+ is essentially our first-ever fully natural outerwear innovation,” Drecki explained. “It's an alternative to those plastic and synthetic shell outer layers that are in the market, so it's a natural alternative that's water-repellent and wind-resistant.”
The shells are made from either 100% Merino or 100% cotton, with the fibres pre-stretched, woven together, and released to create a super dense fabric, which is then coated with a water-resistant finish.
The Merino Loft addition is added insulation for its outerwear range, which Drecki said has an improved warmth to weight ratio and is machine washable.
“The last one is our Real Fleece innovation,” Drecki continued. “So we've introduced our Real Fleece high-pile into our range, which is essentially a Merino that creates a fluffy and textural-like fleece that's really warm and soft to the touch.
“It's ironic that there are so many products out there that are called fleece products, but are made from plastics and synthetics, so we wanted to offer something that was more natural and more authentic to the word Fleece.”
The new range also includes what Drecki called its Zone innovation, which she described as body mapping technology.
“So on different areas of the garment where you exert more heat, like under the arms and on the back, we've strategically placed different types of eyelet material for more breathability.
“So we've extended our zone offering this season with the more lightweight baseline offering for those high-performance or high-exertion activities, like ski touring or running.”