// H&M Group has teamed up with German recycling group Remondis for a new textile recycling venture
// Looper Textile, which will first launch in Europe, plans to innovate current textile collection and sorting practices
H&M has teamed up with German recycling group Remondis for a new venture to collect and sell used unwanted garments and textiles.
Looper Textile will start its operations in Europe and aims to extend the life cycle of near 40m garments in 2023.
The joint venture will to test new collection schemes and implement automated technologies including near-infrared sorting to innovate current textile collection and sorting practices.
The fashion retailer said it hopes Looper will become “a preferred feedstock provider to companies and innovators engaged in textile resale and recycling”.
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H&M Group head of commercial, advisory and strategic partnerships Emily Bolon has been named chief executive of Looper Textile.
Bolon said: “Used and unwanted garments must first be collected and sorted into different streams, such as by type of material or garment, in order to be reused or recycled.”
Currently, 40% of used clothes are collected in the EU and 60% of post-consumer textiles go directly to waste.
“By building infrastructure and solutions for collection and sorting, we hope to move one step closer toward enabling circularity, thereby minimizing the CO²-impact and improving resource efficiency,” she added.
Last month, H&M revealed its withdrawal from Russia and its cost-cutting programme cost the retailer almost $252m in 2022 leading to a big drop in profits.
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