Product Circularity with Lululemon
Lululemon recently debuted samples of its Swiftly Tech Long-Sleeve Top using enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6, a material co-created with Samsara Eco, an Australian environmental technology company. Nylon 6,6 is used by Lululemon in its popular Align and Wunder Train leggins. Samsara Eco’s recycling technology breaks down “nylon 6,6 synthetic blends by harnessing engineered enzymes, recreating nylon 6,6 that can then be turned back into apparel.” Samsara’s technology uses enzymes to attack polymers and transforming them back to monomers, which allows for the creation of new plastics without using any additional fossil fuels.
Nylon 6,6 is one of the most commonly used plastics in the textile industry, and it is estimated that about 4 million tons odd the material are produced every year. Nylon 6,6 is a rough material to recycle due to its tough and heavy-dutie properties. It is often used not just in fashion, but also in the automotive and electronics industries. Furthermore “With the Swiftly samples, lululemon nylon apparel at the end-of-life stage is combined with other non-textile materials to create recycled nylon for use in new Lululemon products. Using its library of plastic-eating enzymes, Samsara Eco’s manufacturing process is completed within hours and at a low temperature, to make a product that is more sustainable.”
Considering that Nylon is Lululemon’s second most used material after polyester, this enzymatic recycling process is a good step towards becoming a more sustainable brand. Moreover, this breakthrough is the result of Lululemon’s minority investment in the Australian recycling company, which was announced last May. Until now, Samsara Eco had only used the aforementioned technology to recycle polyester, so the creation of recycled Nylon is a monumental moment for both the activewear giant, as well as for the textile innovation company.
Traditionally recycled nylon depends on post-industrial material waste, and recycled alternatives that meet Lululemon’s standard of quality is available in very limited quantities, which impedes the scaling of product circularity by any measure. Past products using more sustainable materials include Lululemon’s plant-based nylon Metal Vent and Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve Shirts, which created in partnership with Geno, and a small range of yoga accessories that incorporates Mylo, a plant-based leather alternative that is made of mycelium, the branching root network of a fungus.
Currently, 90% of the nylon in Swiftly tops is made using Samsara Eco’s enzyme technology. Other activewear brands like Vuori, Nike, and On have also been including more recycled materials into their manufacturing. Vuori’s BlissBlend fabric, which is made of 75% recycled materials is used in the brand’s AllTheFeels leggings and bras; Nike introduced Forward, a new fabric that is made of 70% of recycled content, and which has an alleged 75% lower carbon footprint that standard knit fleece, and On says that it has increased the use of recycled polyester in its products by 85%.
