#Recycling / Circular Economy

2021-09-30

Zalando invests in Infinited Fiber Company

Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, invests in the circular fashion and textile technology group Infinited Fiber Company. The investment completes a funding round recently led by H&M Group, in which adidas and BESTSELLER’s investment arm Invest FWD A/S also took part. Infinited Fiber Company will use the proceeds to prepare for building Infinited Fiber Company’s flagship factory in Finland in response to the strong growth in demand from global fashion and textile brands for Infinited Fiber Company’s regenerated textile fiber Infinna™.

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology turns cellulose-based raw materials into regenerated textile fiber, Infinna™

Funding used to prepare for building Infinited Fiber Company’s flagship factory and boost pilot plant output

Investment tied to Zalando’s sustainability goal to extend the life of at least 50 million fashion products by 2023

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology turns cellulose-based raw materials, like cotton-rich textile waste, into Infinna™, a unique, premium-quality regenerated textile fiber with the natural, soft look and feel of cotton. Infinna™ is biodegradable, contains no microplastics, and at the end of their life, garments made with it can be recycled in the same process together with other textile waste. Both companies are also signing a letter of intent that includes Zalando providing raw materials to Infinited Fiber Company in the future and Zalando using the regenerated Infinna™ fiber for its private label production.

Infinited Fiber Company co-founder and CEO Petri Alava says: “We are delighted to welcome Zalando as a new strategic investor into our circle of partners, and see their commitment as further indication of the fashion industry’s strong belief in our innovation. Zalando’s vast brand portfolio and circularity initiatives provide a great basis to deepen our collaboration and to secure feedstock for our flagship plant.”

Zalando Co-CEO David Schneider: “We want to be part of the solution for a more sustainable fashion industry. With the investment in Infinited Fiber Company, we initiate a collaboration with a circular technology innovator to grow the industry share of textiles recycled into new textiles, which currently sits at only one percent.”

Zalando has previously teamed up with sustainable fashion innovation platform, Fashion for Good, and the Berlin-based startup, circular.fashion, to develop the redeZIGN for Circularity capsule collection and with the Ellen MacArthur foundation to accelerate a circular economy in fashion.