Sweden – Looop by H&M is a garment-to-garment recycling system that lets shoppers transform unwanted clothing into new items.
Introduced in Stockholm, the concept allows customers to bring old textiles into H&M stores to have them recycled into something new. The shipping container-sized machine functions by cleaning the garments, shredding them into fibres and spinning this into yarn, before knitting it into a new piece of clothing. While some new fibres are added as part of the remaking process, H&M emphasises that Looop aims to be as sustainable as possible by using no water or chemicals.
By allowing people to watch the creation process, Looop actively engages them in circular fashion, while repositioning the store environment as a theatrical, service-led space. ‘We are constantly exploring new technology and innovations to help transform the fashion industry as we are working to reduce the dependency on virgin resources,’ says Pascal Brun, head of sustainability at H&M.
The trend of garment upcycling and DIY fashion has been gaining momentum in recent months. Alongside shoppers transforming old or unwanted garments, brands also have an opportunity to innovate using dead stock.