Another world first for OnceMore®: Recycling coloured textiles
OnceMore® by Södra is delighted to be working with ICA, the leading Swedish grocery retailer, to save 56,000 used items of coloured workwear from incineration and turn them instead into new textile fibres.
The ground-breaking cooperation will begin with workwear from 88 of ICA’s Maxi stores being sent to the OnceMore® production line at Södra’s Mörrum pulp mill in southern Sweden. Instead of being incinerated these garments will be the raw material for as many as 28,000 new garments. This is the first time that coloured workwear from blended materials will be recycled and used for new textile fibres on a commercial scale in Sweden, and possibly the world.
"First project of its kind on a large scale”
OnceMore® Business Development Manager, Angeline Elfström, explains the project’s significance on several levels:
“One of the biggest challenges in textile recycling is that fabric rarely consists of pure fibres. In the OnceMore® process, we separate cotton and polyester from polycotton, one of the world's most widely-used textile types. The cellulose from the cotton fibres is then combined with cellulose from our sustainable, renewable wood sources. The result, after going through the entire value chain, is new quality textile based on recycled material.
“Until now, we have only been accepting white textiles to make OnceMore®, mainly from the hotel industry in the form of towels and bed linen. This is the first time that we will recycle polyester/cotton blended workwear and the first time we can do so using coloured textiles. As far as we know, this is the first project of its kind on a large scale.”
ICA: OnceMore® offers the solution we need
Anders Axelsson, Head of Sustainability Strategy and Development at Ica, added: “We were seeking a way to give our used workwear a new lease of life instead of classifying thousands of garments as waste and incinerating them, as is the case today. OnceMore® by Södra offers just the circular solution we had been hoping for, as well as the capacity to handle a large volume of garments.”
Catrin Gustavsson, Executive Vice President at Södra Innovation, says the project helps bring the fashion industry a significant step closer to a more circular business model: “This is a clear example of what can be achieved through collaboration in the supply chain, as well as another first for OnceMore® by Södra. It is a promising start for greater producer responsibility in the textile value chain. We are delighted with our progress so far. It shows what can be achieved if stakeholders in a more circular fashion industry work together.”
About ICA
With around 1,300 stores and a market share of approximately 36%, ICA Sweden is the leading grocery retailer in Sweden. Its Maxi stores offer a wide range of food and non-food items under one roof, including homeware, entertainment and garden supplies.
About Södra
Founded in 1938, Södra is Sweden’s largest forest-owner association, with 52,000 forest owners as its members. We conduct modern and responsible forestry, and operate state-of-the-art mills in which we process our raw material. In 2020, net sales amounted to SEK 20 billion and employees totalled 3,100. Through value-generating relationships and a long-term approach, Södra shows the way for the next generation of forestry.
For questions, please contact:
Södra’s Pressroom,
Tel: +46 (0)470-890 90
E-mail: press@sodra.com
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