Filippa K to debut “game-changing” new recycled and renewable material

Swedish fashion brand Filippa K is to debut what it is calling a “game-changing” recycled material in its spring/summer 2024 collection developed in collaboration with Södra, Lenzing and Riopele.

In a statement, Filippa K said that the innovative material is made from a combination of textile waste and wood cellulose, utilising OnceMore technology from Swedish forest group Södra, and Refibra technology from Lenzing, the globally-recognised fibre producer behind Tencel.

The new recycled and renewable material will be used in its SS23 collection and unveiled in the autumn as part of the Swedish brand’s ongoing commitment to find circular solutions and incorporate sustainability into its collections.

Jodi Everding, vice president of sustainability at Filippa K, said: “We are so excited to be the first brand developing products in the new textile based on OnceMore pulp using Lenzing’s Refibra technology, supported by Riopele’s creative expertise in yarn and fabric production.

“We are not in this alone — collaboration is an essential step in sustainable transformation of the industry. It’s important to us at Filippa K to join forces with like-minded partners who are innovators in their own fields.”

Södra, Lenzing and Riopele collaborate with Filippa K to advance circularity

Filippa K will be the first to utilise Tencel x Refibra lyocell fibres based on OnceMore brand pulp, which was jointly developed by Lenzing and Södra, as the world’s first process for large-scale recycling of textile waste from blended fabrics.

Using the innovative Refibra technology, Lenzing produces lyocell fibres from it in a closed-loop manufacturing process and with Portuguese fabric manufacturer Riopele’s expertise in yarn and fabric production, the sustainably produced pilot fibres are subsequently turned into fashionable fabrics that Filippa K will be using in its SS24 collection.

Robert van de Kerkhof, chief commercial officer fiber of the Lenzing Group, said: “One company alone can’t solve the pressing issue of textile waste. It is proactive partnerships like this that enable us to move forward and bring about real systemic change.

“We’re working hard to make our industries even more sustainable and to drive the transformation of the textile business model from linear to circular. Further efforts from the entire industry are needed for this transformation to take place.”

Lotta Lyrå, chief executive of Södra, added: “Our target is to always create a better product than the alternatives and generate as much value as possible throughout the value chain from our 51,000 members’ forests. This first-in-class collaboration between OnceMore, Filippa K and Lenzing is an important step to achieve this and keep challenging the blended-fibre waste to create a circular textile system.”

Lenzing and Södra have been joining forces in textile recycling since 2021 to jointly develop processes to enable the broader use of cellulosic used textiles on a commercial scale. The jointly developed pulp OnceMore will be used as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s Tencel x Refibra branded speciality fibres. The goal is to be able to process 25,000 tons of textile waste per year by 2025.