Denim Deal is making inroads in France.
The industry-leading initiative committed to standardizing circular practices in denim production announced that French brand Kiabi is has joined the collective. The retail brand announced its membership during Circular Fashion Week, taking place Dec. 4-5 at the CCI Grand Lille.
Kiabi said its membership confirms its trajectory to “move beyond isolated initiatives and embrace a collaborative, ambitious and technically demanding European dynamic.”
Sustainable sourcing is a key pillar for the affordable fashion brand, which has over 590 points of sale in 33 countries. Kiabi has committed to achieving 100 percent sustainable fibers by the end of this year. U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol reports that cotton accounts for 60 percent of the tonnage of raw materials used for Kiabi’s products.
The brand added that joining Denim Deal “clearly reaffirms its intention to play an active role in Europe’s industrial transformation and to accelerate a circularity that is genuinely scaled, concrete and measurable.”
Denim Deal brings together more than sixty organizations from ten different countries working toward the same goal: the production of 1 billion pairs of jeans containing at least 20 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) cotton by 2030. Members include brands, recyclers, spinning mills, weavers, institutions and innovators with a shared ambition to develop common standards, accelerate the integration of post-consumer recycled fibers into denim products and to build circular value chains capable of operating at continental scale.
Denim Deal is ramping up its efforts in France this month. On Tuesday, the organization hosted an immersive event in Paris where participants experienced first-hand how circular business models and material innovation are transforming the denim sector. The event included a showroom presentation of denim containing over 20 percent post-consumer recycled cotton and the launch of two R&D projects to improve the physical durability of PCR cotton and to navigate multi-source industrialization of PCR cotton supply.
On Thursday, Denim Deal joined Circular Fashion Week in Lille, where it hosted a roundtable to discuss how collaboration is turning “circular ambition into commercial reality.”
In March, the organization launched Denim Deal France—its first major expansion outside of its Netherlands origins. At the time of the launch, Nicolas Prophte, Denim Deal board member, said France’s “dynamic denim industry and diverse range of retailers and brands” presents a unique opportunity for growth.
The organization has also expanded to India through a partnership with Global Alliance For Textile Sustainability Council (GATS) and Enviu Textiles.
Source: https://sourcingjournal.com/