Taking Recycled Textiles For A Second Spin
Outerknown was founded to smash the formula of how clothes are made. Traditionally, the fashion industry operates in a linear way — resources are extracted to make clothes that are only around a short while before ending up in landfill. That’s why our goal is to become fully circular by 2030, and Second Spin is a giant step in the right direction. Unbelievably soft sweats and tees made with yarns spun from recycled clothes and factory scraps!
EVERY FIBER COUNTS
The fibers we choose have a significant impact on a product’s environmental footprint, so we’re committed to using more recycled fibers across our assortment every season, and Second Spin is a testament to this. Each Second Spin item is GOTS certified and contains pre- and post-consumer textile waste. Even our trims are organic or recycled! Most of our women’s items contain REFIBRA™ Lyocell, an ultra soft blend of recycled cotton and sustainably harvested wood pulp that has an incredible handfeel. Why let something go to waste when it has the potential to live on as something great?
RECYCLING LIKE NOBODY ELSE
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, “less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing.” We have to do better! So we’ve partnered with Hallotex, a fiber-through-factory supplier that’s pioneering change in the recycled fiber space. With their new game-changing technology, they’re transforming salvaged textiles and garments into recycled cotton fibers of the highest quality, far beyond what’s been done before, opening up a world of opportunity for the industry to do better.
· Hallotex diverts approximately 300.000 kgs (~660,000 lbs) of textile waste from landfill annually.
· About 1.200 kgs (~2,645 lbs) of recycled cotton went into our Second Spin collection.
KEEPING IT LOCAL
The fashion industry is a complex global supply network, which comes with a big carbon footprint. While it’s essential that we partner with factories with the highest social and environmental standards no matter where they are in the world, we’re always looking to lessen the miles our products have to travel. Aside from the yarn spinning, our Second Spin collection is made in Tangier, Morocco!
TRANSPARENCY EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
Circularity requires supply chain transparency. So we’re utilizing EON’s CircularID™ technology to track the life cycle of every Second Spin garment — from fibers to factories — to enable recycling at the end of the road. Just scan the QR code inside each garment for the full circularity story. Our goal is to keep everything we make going through repair, resale, and recycling. Second Spin marks our progress, but our journey continues!
