Green machine giving us extra socks appeal...
IT has been described as “a glimpse of fashion’s future” – and it will stop thousands of tonnes of clothes from rotting in landfill each year.
Now moth-eaten jumpers and holey socks are being given a new lease of life thanks to a pioneering recycling machine that spins old clothes into new.
High street retailer H&M is offering the service at its store on one of Stockholm’s main streets. Customers can let a machine shred the fibres of their old clothes turning them into either a jumper, poncho, baby blanket or scarf.
It costs between £8 and £13 per item and the service is so popular it is booked up until Easter.
The process takes up to 10 hours and will only accept garments made from natural fibres which will then be mixed with new cotton so the new items are strong enough to wear.
The system requires no added water or chemicals and H&M says its goal is to help customers see “that old textiles hold a value and should never go to waste”. It is the first time the ‘ Looop’ machine has operated inside a clothes shop. It was designed by the H&M Foundation and the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel and a smaller version of the original, which has the capacity to recycle three tonnes of clothing each day.
As it stands, less than 1% of the material used to make clothes is recycled into new clothing each year, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Of the total fibre used for clothing, 87% is sent to landfill or incinerated.
H&M said it has no plans yet to introduce a machine in the UK but Erik Bang, who is in charge of innovation for the circular economy at their Foundation, said: “This technology is open for anyone to adopt and install or use in their context.
“We would love more brands and retailers to use this.”
Taking up this offer would be a lasting new year’s resolution which in turn would help us all think twice before throwing an old tea towel or faded top in the bin.