In a move that could disrupt the $100 billion global swimwear and intimate apparel market, a trilateral partnership between RadiciGroup, The Lycra Company, and Triumph has successfully demonstrated the first closed-loop recycling of mixed-fiber garments. While the textile industry currently recycles less than 1 per cent of its waste into new apparel - primarily due to the complexity of separating blended fibers like nylon and elastane - this new ‘selective dissolution’ technology effectively recovers both materials without compromising quality.
Historically, garments containing elastane (Lycra) were a ‘dead end" for recyclers, often destined for landfills where synthetic fibers can take up to 200 years to decompose. Developed by Radici InNova, the new process utilizes non-toxic, eco-compatible solvents to separate PA6 or PA66 nylon from elastane. In a recent validation trial, Triumph provided 16 per cent Lycra blend production surplus, which was processed into recycled nylon and re-spun Lycra fiber. This material was then woven into a 60-meter prototype fabric, proving that circularity is technically and economically viable for high-performance stretch textiles.
Scaling circularity for the 2030 horizon
The success of this pilot comes at a critical time as the industry faces tightening regulations like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This innovation opens up revolutionary development opportunities, notes Stefano Alini, CEO, Radici InNova. Triumph has already signaled its intent to launch a dedicated capsule collection using this technology. As the sector targets a CAGR of 8.4 per cent in ethnic and performance wear, the ability to recover high-value spandex alongside nylon offers a significant competitive edge in resource efficiency.
The collaboration represents a vertical integration of the textile value chain, combining chemical engineering, fiber science, and consumer retail. This project is the culmination of a four-year R&D effort to solve the ‘blended fiber’ hurdle that has historically rendered swimwear and leggings unrecyclable.
