RE&UP, Madewell and ISKO advance circular denim through textile-to-textile recycling
RE&UP Recycling Technologies is advancing the transition toward a closed-loop textile economy through a new collaboration with American denim brand Madewell and global fabric manufacturer ISKO. The partnership demonstrates how post-consumer denim can be transformed into high-quality recycled materials and reintroduced into the production cycle.
As part of the initiative, approximately 20,000 pairs of post-consumer jeans have been collected and processed into recycled feedstock. The materials are then used to produce a textile-to-textile denim capsule collection, highlighting the commercial potential of circular systems in the denim industry.
Founded in 2006, Madewell has built its reputation around premium denim and responsible sourcing practices. The brand has also been an active participant in the Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ program, which encourages consumers to recycle old denim. Through its take-back initiative, Madewell has collected and recycled more than two million pairs of jeans to date.
This latest collaboration represents an important technical step forward in denim recycling. RE&UP’s advanced recycling technology enables post-consumer garments to be converted into Next-Gen Cotton and Polyester fibres suitable for high-quality denim production.
Recycling used denim garments presents several challenges, particularly due to fabric blends and wear from previous use. RE&UP addresses this issue with a feedstock-agnostic recycling process capable of handling polycotton blends and transforming them into raw materials for new textile manufacturing.
The recycled fibres are supplied to ISKO, where they are processed into fabrics certified under the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). These fabrics are engineered to meet the performance requirements expected in modern denim, including stretch, durability and comfort.
The denim capsule collection will launch on Wednesday, April 8 and will be available through Madewell’s online store.
Marco Lucietti, Head of Global Marketing & Communications at RE&UP, emphasized the significance of the project for the industry.
“Closing the loop on post-consumer denim requires industrial precision,” he said. “Our collaboration with Madewell and ISKO demonstrates that complex, worn garments can be deconstructed and reintroduced into the supply chain as high-quality Next-Gen Cotton and Polyester. This approach provides a blueprint for how brands can use their own take-back streams to build a repeatable, closed-loop production system.”
