The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world, heavily reliant on water, energy, and non-renewable resources like petroleum-based polyester. Conventional cotton and polyester production often leads to habitat destruction for agriculture or fossil fuel extraction, impacting planetary boundaries such as biosphere integrity (ecosystems and wildlife) and climate change (through fossil fuel-induced greenhouse gases). Traditional clothing production also generates massive waste, both during manufacturing and at the end of the product's life cycle, as garments often end up in landfills.

The Adidas by Stella McCartney collection produced a 100% recyclable hoodie crafted from garment waste using NuCycl™ fibre by Evrnu. The cycle starts with used cotton-rich textiles and production waste, which Evrnu works with textile recyclers, brands, and retailers to source. The textile waste is then shredded, liquified, purified, and transformed into Nucycl® fibre, which looks and performs the same as, if not better than, virgin fibre. Utilising NuCycl™ technology, the Infinite Hoodie incorporates 60% NuCycl™ and 40% organic cotton diverted from landfills, demonstrating its potential to be remade into high-performance products repeatedly.

Stella McCartney also produced a biofabric tennis dress made with Microsilk™, a prototype concept born from a collaboration with Bolt Threads, and cellulose blended yarn. Bolt Threads studies silk proteins spun by spiders to determine what gives them their incredible properties. Proteins inspired by these natural silks are then produced by using bioengineering, and made with renewable ingredients like water, sugar, and yeast - which can fully biodegrade at the end of its lifecycle.

Stella McCartney's efforts are part of a growing movement toward reducing fashion's environmental impact, highlighting the potential of innovative materials and circular production models to drive meaningful change.

Photo by Yaroslav Hrynko on Unsplash