Legwear, seamless, tight, hosiery, lingerie, bodysuits, etc.

Products for Technical Cycles

  • Partner: Wolford
Certificates:
  • C2C Certified Material Health Certificate™ PLATINUM
  • C2C Certified® GOLD

Tights and lingerie designed to be safe for technical cycles.

About Wolford: Wolford AG, headquartered in Bregenz, is an Austrian manufacturer of textiles in the upper price segment with a focus on tights, bodysuits and lingerie, and also produces women's outerwear and accessories. Wolford has 15 subsidiaries and sells its products in around 46 countries through more than 198 own and partner-managed brand boutiques, 3,000 trading partners and 17 online shops.

Case Study

Textilprojekt treibt Kreislaufwirtschaft voran

Zürich – Das neue Projekt Circular Clothing möchte Schweizer Textillabels den Zugang zur Kreislaufwirtschaft ermöglichen. EPEA Switzerland engagiert sich als Zertifizierungspartner bei Circular Clothing, um Start-ups zu unterstützen.

Bei Circular Clothing möchte man nicht länger träumen. Stattdessen sollen kreislauffähige Kleidung und eine Zero-Waste-Textilindustrie Realität werden. Dazu ist das in Zürich ansässige Pionierprojekt ins Leben gerufen worden. Über dessen Plattform sollen Schweizer Textillabel die Möglichkeit erhalten, Materialien und Methoden zu nutzen, die für Mensch und Umwelt unbedenklich sind. In diesem Rahmen soll auch eine Cradle to Cradle-Lieferkette etabliert werden, die von den Projektteilnehmenden gemeinsam genutzt werden kann.

Bei dem Kreislaufwirtschaftsprinzip Cradle to Cradle kommt mit EPEA Switzerland auch einer der Partner des Projekts ins Spiel, akkreditierter Gutachter für Cradle to Cradle Certified- und Material Health Certificate-Zertifizierung aus Bäch SZ. Das Unternehmen von CEO Albin Kälin bringt seine umfangreiche Erfahrung in Circular Clothing ein, um Jungunternehmen auf dem Weg zur Kreislaufwirtschaft zu unterstützen. Da die Plattform auch Cradle to Cradle-Zertifizierungen ermöglichen möchte, ist EPEA Switzerland auch in diesem Bereich ein wichtiger Partner.

So sollen künftige zahlreiche Firmen in der Lage sein, denselben Weg wie the Blue suit zu gehen. Die Gründerinnen des Zürcher Textillabels sind bei ihren Bemühungen nach einer nachhaltigen Produktion auf Hindernisse gestossen. Sie haben daher beschlossen, den hohen Cradle to Cradle-Standard zu nutzen, um ihren eigenen Weg Richtung Kreislaufwirtschaft zu gehen. Von ihren Erfahrungen sollen nun die Teilnehmenden am Projekt Circular Clothing profitieren.

Das Pionierprojekt wird ermöglicht durch den Migros-Pionierfonds und unterstützt durch die STF Schweizerische Textilfachschule.

Case Study

Wolford’s range of clothing for a circular economy

Bregenz, AT – Austrian textiles manufacturer Wolford is setting its sights on the circular economy. The company already has a Cradle to Cradle collection, and it will soon bring all its production processes into line with this concept.

Wolford sells an extensive range of textiles in the luxury segment, including several Gold Cradle to Cradle Certified products. Its selection covers dresses, jumpers, leggings and tights, all of which meet the requirements of the Cradle to Cradle circular economy concept. This means that when the products reach the end of their life cycle, there are two options. Either they decompose and their components automatically return to the biological cycle or in the technical cycle where their individual components are depolymerized, so that they can subsequently be used again as raw materials. Neither of these options produces any waste.

Together with over a dozen network partners, Wolford has developed materials, chemicals and dyes that can be used for Cradle to Cradle textiles. In an interview with LEAD Innovation last year, Wolford Head of Product Development Andreas Röhrich explained that the development work took four years. The result was the Cradle to Cradle collection of products, all of which can even be composted – although not in a garden compost bin, but through an industrial composting process.

Röhrich originally set a target of manufacturing half of all Wolford’s products according to Cradle to Cradle principles by 2025. However, in another recent interview with CoEvolve, a platform specializing in the circular lifestyle, he explained that his initial experiences have made him even more optimistic. He now believes it would be possible for Wolford to produce its entire range to Cradle to Cradle standards by 2027. According to CoEvolve, Albin Kälin, founder and CEO of EPEA Switzerland, is also proud of Wolford’s efforts in this area. He supported the company to start using the biodegradable polyester vinatur, which is a significant component of the Cradle to Cradle collection. EPEA Switzerland acted as accredited assessment body for the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ certification.

The Wolford project is literally a masterpiece. On one side it is the result of a collaboration between a multitude of different actors and generating knowhow along the way.

The following 2 articles represent a good summary of the project.

https://www.lead-innovation.com/english-blog/why-a-compostable-bra-can-only-be-developed-together

https://www.cnnmoney.ch/shows/newsmaker/videos/wolford-aims-have-50-percent-products-circular-economy-2025

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