This innovation demonstrates the viability of a closed-loop system that turns recycled garments into new products
Alsico, a global workwear manufacturer, has successfully developed its first finished garment through a fully circular process. This innovation demonstrates the viability of a closed-loop system that transforms recycled garments into new products, marking a milestone in alsico's long-term sustainability strategy
At the beginning of the year, alsico Academy, a team of the brand's experts tasked with developing the most sustainable and comfortable fabrics possible to create clothes fit for the future, embarked on the challenge of producing a closed-loop solution. Following extensive research and design, and in partnership with Sixone, an advanced recycler, alsico has provided a finished garment made from recycled materials.
Sixone turns post-consumer textiles into polyester chips, ensuring the garment is made solely from these sources and that manufacturing is not reliant on virgin, fossil-fuel-based polyester. The fabric developed this way has been tested and validated in line with market requirements and the strict performance requirements of alsico.
Vincent Siau, head of the alsico Academy, said, “Our ambition is to create a fully integrated, circular supply chain, where alsico garments are collected, recycled and reborn as new alsico products. This process is incredibly important to ensure that we can keep wearers across a broad range of industries protected and comfortable every day, while truly managing the impact of our solutions on the environment.”
Siau added, “The successful creation of our first material and finished garment using the polyester chips from our partnership with Sixone is an enormous achievement, and one that confirms we can make circularity a standard in the textiles industry.”
The garment development falls under the brand's ARX initiative, encompassing its efforts in rework, repair, care, and recycling. The program also covers alsico's sustainability targets, including phasing out virgin fossil fuel-based materials and achieving 90% preferred fibres across its product portfolio by 2040, with a 40% interim target by 2030.
Alsico has harnessed the power of advanced technologies, including AI-based molecular analysis, by coordinating strategic partnerships with international specialists, such as Sixone. This has facilitated the recycling of complex polyester blends, preventing the challenge of mixed fibres that have traditionally compromised the performance of recycled fabrics.
Third-party analysis of the fabric found that, compared with virgin fossil-fuel-based polyester, the fabric developed with Sixone resulted in a 60% reduction in emissions, a 64% reduction in energy use, and a 40% reduction in water use.
Siau said, “Our finished garment is a huge indicator for alsico that we are making critical progress, and we can’t wait to share it at A+A in November. However, to meet the growing global demands for transparency, accountability, and sustainable products, the academy’s work must continue. This means further testing of our recycling processes, but also demonstrating progress across our supply chain, and demonstrating that in 2025, circularity is not only possible but critical for the future of the industry."
