Chanel launches ‘Nevold’ to reduce pre-consumer waste

Nevold, an independent B2B platform founded by Chanel, is working to address the issue of pre-consumer waste, such as preventing textile waste from clothing production and controlling unused or old clothing that could otherwise be thrown away. The name “Nevold” is derived from the concept of “never old.” It is dedicated to developing circular materials, including tweed and leather, at an industrial scale.

In addition to its recycling initiatives, Nevold is committed to circularity, innovation, and collaboration. Source: WWD reports that Chanel has committed €50 to €80 million to develop and scale Nevold.

According to Bruno Pavlovsky, fashion president of Chanel, this initiative is emphasizing the conservation of raw materials and the thinking behind their optimal use while also challenging the traditional waste-heavy model of high fashion.

Core activities of Nevold are converting pre-consumer waste (textile offcuts, unused and unsold products) into high-quality new materials; primarily focusing on natural fibers such as wool, silk, cotton, cashmere, and leather; working on scalable solutions for luxury applications; and acting as a B2B supplier and innovation hub, inviting collaborations from fashion and adjacent industries.

“At Chanel, we didn’t destroy unsold products. But we also didn’t yet have a real system to understand their full potential. Nevold is that system.” — Pavlovsky to Vogue Business.

Nevold aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 30.3% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2040. Valuable resources from transforming waste could serve as a blueprint for the fashion industry.