At ISPO Munich 2025, the Chinese down specialist Bosideng was awarded the ISPO Gold Award for its circular down jacket. This product represents the first commercially available outcome of China’s first industry standard for circular design – a standard that Bosideng helped develop.
The global apparel industry is undergoing a paradigm shift: the decades‑prevailing linear economic model is being replaced by a circular one. Under this new model, raw materials do not lose their value after use, yielding reductions in costly and environmentally harmful waste. Instead, they are returned to the production cycle and processed into new products. However, the current incompatibility of product design with recyclability, limited availability of recyclable materials at industrial scale, and insufficient recovery systems require profound changes across the entire value chain. New solutions are needed at every stage, from materials research and design to production, logistics and take-back structures.
For several years, Chinese down specialist Bosideng has been driving this transformation, by innovating environmentally friendly materials, reducing CO₂ emissions in production and adopting circular technologies.
Bosideng at the forefront of China’s new industry standards
Bosideng has been a driving force behind the creation of China’s first industry standard for circular design in the textile and apparel sector. Published by the China Fashion & Color Association, the standard (T/CFCAT 004-2025) sets binding rules for circular-product design, materials selection, recycling and reuse processes for the first time, incorporating social responsibility from the design phase onward. The aim is to provide the industry with a practical framework and robust assessment system to accelerate the transition from linear to circular business models.
Already a key contributor to its development, Bosideng is now pioneering the standard’s implementation. It is the first manufacturer to obtain from TESTEX, an independent testing body, certification for a garment under the new specification and to apply the principles to industrial-scale production. This is the first time externally tested circular-design requirements have been fully integrated into a commercial product.
The product in question is the Circular Design Fashion and Functional Puffer Jacket, which received the ISPO Gold Award, for innovative design, at ISPO Munich 2025. This groundbreaking product demonstrates that the Chinese market is maturing and that China has become a driving force in the global outdoor and apparel industry.
Establishing circularity: ISPO Award-Winning products from 2023 to 2025
The company’s progress in the circular economy is clear to see in two award-winning jackets.
In fall 2023, Bosideng received its first ISPO Award for its circularity ideas. For the PFC-free 3L jacket, the Eco-Design Circular Lightweight Functional Down Puffer Jacket, Bosideng used 100 percent bio-based PA510 nylon for the outer layer and 100 percent recycled nylon for the lining. The jacket was filled with RDS-certified goose down. Since all other components are also nylon-based, at the end of their useful life, the down and nylon materials can be easily separated with a precise cut and also recycled separately.
Two years later, in 2025, the Circular Design Fashion and Functional Puffer Jacket won the ISPO Gold Award. This impressive jacket demonstrates Bosideng’s advances in circularity. It is made entirely from recycled polyester and filled with 800-fill-power recycled down. Bosideng has applied a new technology to enable both materials to be recycled again at the end of the product’s life. First, the jacket is shredded, then the down protein and polyester are chemically separated. The process simplifies material separation and recycling, because there is no need to cut open the jacket and manually remove the down. A blue label on the jacket indicates compliance with the new standard.
Bosideng began developing recyclable down jackets in 2022. This improved recycling method represents a significant advance over previous approaches: chemical processing breaks down used down jackets and regenerates the materials into recycled yarn and down protein yarn. This greatly simplifies recycling and re-production, for a complete “garment-to-garment” life cycle.
Sustainability as a strategic goal
Bosideng has consciously pursued sustainable brand development from the top down, systematically integrating ecological and social goals into its business. The board of directors regards sustainable development as a central corporate mission and has outlined how the company is to achieve net-zero emissions in its operations by 2038.
Bosideng is developing a product system that adheres strictly to the ISO 14067 standard, calculating carbon emissions throughout the life cycle – from raw materials to distribution. Through materials and logistics optimization, switching to photovoltaics and low-carbon processes, and using environmentally friendly packaging, Bosideng has already achieved systematic carbon reduction. In fiscal year 2024/25, its suppliers generated 1,329 MWh of photovoltaic power, and the carbon footprint per unit for the express shipping of core products decreased by 4 percent. Several key product categories, including down and outdoor jackets and sun protection clothing, have received CO₂-neutrality certification from the China Quality Certification Centre (CQC).
Bosideng has also pioneered transparency by building a digital platform that enables 100 percent traceability of ESG performance for its core suppliers.
For Bosideng, sustainability is not just a standalone corporate strategy; it is a comprehensive, systematic capability built jointly by Bosideng and its partners.
