• Chanel launches NEVOLD to preserve high-value fibres

• Fashion for Good and Arvind Limited launch Future Forward Factories India

• Lululemon takes Proactive Stride Towards Sustainable Materials

• French Senate pass Anti-Ultra-Fast Fashion Bill

The BioDesign Newsletter

Issue #048

The fashion industry, ranging from luxury to fast fashion, is increasingly under scrutiny for its environmental impact. Luxury, for instance, faces consumer backlash over practices like burning unsold waste, and its reliance on prized natural fibres like cashmere and silk is threatened by climate change. This scarcity is prompting luxury houses to reclaim value from their waste.

Chanel Launches NEVOLD to preserve high-value fibres

Chanel, for example, recently announced NEVOLD, an initiative to create a circular ecosystem for natural textile and leather waste. The premise behind the initiative is to build an ecosystem that is capable of transforming waste generated by Chanel and other clients at scale and transforming them into new high-quality materials that can be used by the Maison itself or sold to others. As Chanel's president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky stated, "If we want to continue to exist and to do what we are doing, we have to anticipate and to see how we can rethink this idea of materials and raw materials."

Driving Change in Manufacturing: Future Forward Factories India

This proactive stance by luxury brands, driven by resource constraints and brand preservation, mirrors a broader imperative for sustainability now gaining traction across the entire textile supply chain. A significant leap in this direction was recently announced with the launch of Future Forward Factories India, a groundbreaking initiative by Fashion for Good and Arvind Limited. This ambitious project aims to transform Tier 2 textile factories – the backbone of the supply chain and a major source of emissions and resource consumption – into environmentally responsible and economically viable operations. It involves developing an open-source, modular blueprint for sustainable textile manufacturing and constructing a first-of-its-kind physical facility in Gujarat, India.

This pioneering factory is projected to achieve a remarkable 93% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and save approximately 60 litres of water per kilogram of fabric compared to conventional methods, striving to be the industry's first near-net-zero textile production centre. This initiative underscores a collective effort to move beyond individual brand sustainability to tackle systemic challenges at the manufacturing core, providing a replicable model for the global industry.

Sportswear's Proactive Stride Towards Sustainable Materials

While luxury grapples with dwindling natural resources, the sportswear industry has historically leaned on abundant, low-cost synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon. These materials offer durability and performance but pose significant environmental challenges due to their fossil fuel origins and difficulty in recycling. As regulations like the EU’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) aim to reduce textile waste, the pressure on sportswear to innovate is mounting.

Interestingly, only a few players in the mainstream sportswear market seem to be truly getting ahead of this challenge. PANGAIA has consistently been a frontrunner in material innovation, striving to produce "planet-positive" products. Their latest release, the 365 Seamless Activewear, showcases this with 100% bio-based EVO® Nylon derived from castor oil, alongside Hyosung’s regen™ BIO Max elastane, made from 98% renewable resources.

Beyond PANGAIA, it is Lululemon standing out among legacy sportswear giants for its long-term commitment to a circular ecosystem for high-performance products. Despite past "greenwashing" criticisms, Lululemon is taking tangible steps, continuing its partnership with ZymoChem to scale bio-based nylon 6,6 and, in May, collaborating with biorecycling company Samsara Eco and carbon recycling giant Lanzatech. Their innovative Packable Anorak, which uses enzymatically recycled polyester and nylon, demonstrates the potential for these recycled materials to match the look and feel of virgin fibres. Further solidifying their commitment, Lululemon and Samsara Eco have announced a 10-year offtake agreement, aiming for Samsara Eco's materials to fulfil approximately 20% of Lululemon's future nylon 6,6 and polyester needs by 2030.

Fast Fashion's Legislative Wake-Up Call

This push for innovation from within the sportswear industry, largely ahead of broad legislative mandates, contrasts sharply with the direct, legislative pressure now being applied to the fast fashion sector. France has recently passed a pioneering bill directly targeting "ultra-fast fashion" platforms like Shein and Temu. This legislation aims to curb the environmental and social impact of the industry by imposing escalating eco-taxes on individual items, potentially reaching up to €10 by 2030 (capped at 50% of the item's price), and introducing advertising bans for such brands and their influencers.

The intent is to discourage overconsumption and promote more sustainable practices, though critics argue the bill appears to be more lenient on established European fast-fashion companies like Zara and H&M. Crucially, the bill's journey is far from over. Its implementation faces significant potential hurdles from the European Union. Provisions like the eco-tax and advertising restrictions could be seen as infringing upon the EU's single market principles, free movement of goods, and non-discrimination rules. This raises the likelihood of infringement procedures from the European Commission and possible intervention from the Court of Justice of the European Union, which could ultimately require France to amend or even withdraw parts of the law to comply with broader EU regulations.

A Multifaceted Pursuit of Sustainability

Whether it’s a push to stay ahead of competitors, win the hearts of consumers, reclaim resources or avoid clashing with regulations, the entire textiles ecosystem is navigating a complex shift. While the pace and urgency may not be ideal, there is no doubt that there is a convergence of drivers reshaping how garments are made and consumed.

Until next time,

Ariyana & the House of BioDesign Team

The BioDesign Newsletter is an independent publication.

© 2025 House of BioDesign Limited. All rights reserved.