Puma and H&M have teamed up with Worn Again, a U.K.-based recycling start-up, to test an innovative textile recycling technology, which Worn Again claims is the first of its kind. One of the issues in textile recycling is how to separate blended fiber garments and how to separate dyes and other contaminants from polyester and cellulose. The new chemical recycling technology developed by Worn Again is said to be able to separate and extract polyester and cotton from old or end-of-use clothing and textiles. Once separated, the purpose is to enable the recaptured polyester and cellulose from cotton to be spun into new fabric. This would allow the creation of a circular resource model for textiles. Puma and H&M will be testing the Worn Again technology in their supply chains this year. By converting the reclaimed raw materials into yarn, developing fabric and creating garments, these tests will be aimed at proving that the technology would be commercially viable.

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