H&M Joint IKEA To Study Recycling And Reuse Of Fabric Safety

At the recent conference on fabric exchange 2019 (2019 Textile Exchange Sustainability Conference), the Swedish fast fashion group H&M Group announced a large-scale research work with the Swedish home retail giant IKEA (IKEA) to investigate the chemical composition of recycled fabrics in the post consumption stage. In fact, the cooperation between the two sides dates back to May 2018.

Improving the utilization rate of recyclable materials and achieving 100% recyclability and regeneration of fabrics is one of the major goals of H&M group. The company is taking a series of strategic initiatives to lead the fashion industry to make positive contributions to sustainable and atmospheric protection through scientific research and cooperation.

Because of the unknown risk of chemical components in recycled fabrics, H&M believes that good chemical management measures must be taken to ensure that these materials can be used safely in the circulatory system. In view of the hidden dangers posed by chemical components in recycled fabrics, the conference on Sustainable fabric exchange brought together people from over 25 countries to discuss the solutions.

H&M Group Global materials business expert Anna Biverst L and IKEA supply chain materials and innovation deployment manager Nils M nsson nsson shared some important findings in the report.

The study focuses on the recovery of cotton, polyester and wool materials in the post consumption stage. More than 8000 tests have been carried out on the collected recycled fabrics for the purpose of jointly developing action plans for the use of recyclable fabrics and ensuring that these materials meet stringent safety standards. Meanwhile, fashion industry colleagues have launched initiatives to increase the proportion of recycled fabrics used in products. The results of this research will help or optimize the management legislation and standardization of chemicals in recycled fabrics in the future.

In this study, two companies collected 166 samples of cotton fabrics, mostly from recycled clothing, including some remaining fabrics that were not made into garments. The researchers smashed the sample and spent several months in 8000 tests for chemical analysis. The preliminary findings include:

Chromium compounds (carcinogens) and heavy metals used for dyeing were found in 8.7% of the samples.

19.3% of the samples were found to be alkylphenoxy dyes (endocrine disruptors), which manufacture dyes and pigments.

It is too early to draw conclusions from early tests, so more research will follow. Nils M nsson believes that only when more data is obtained can the correct conclusion be reached, so that the fashion industry can adopt the best way to use recycled fabrics.

It is reported that IKEA has begun to use some surplus fabrics made by some textile enterprises to make products, such as making carpet with surplus fabric from production bed. But because of the huge output demand, the company had to use some uncertain supply fabrics.

H&M and IKEA have carried out deep cooperation in the field of sustainable fashion in recent years. Last December, TreeToTextile, an environmental fabric company supported by two companies, announced cooperation with Nordic paper maker Stora Enso.