With the aim to strengthen its sustainability efforts and make it more transparent, popular fast-fashion label H&M has introduced its new recycling system called “Looop” — a machine that has landed in one of its Drottninggatan stores in Stockholm today.
The said machine can transform old garments into new ones right before your eyes. It also does it in the most eco-friendly way possible, by cleaning and shredding pieces into its base fibers before spinning them into new yarn, with very rare cases where sustainably sourced virgin materials will need to be added to help bulk out the yarn, however this is done with caution and is limited as much as possible.
H&M hopes it will overcome the issues with production sustainability, which should be done by the end of 2030, the date which they estimate all of its materials will be recycled or sourced in a more sustainable way. “Looop,” in a similar fashion, uses no water and no chemicals which make for a lower environmental impact than standard garment production, and the result is a new yarn that can then be knitted to create new clothes.
The machine as mentioned is located in a Drottninggatan store in Stockholm, where it’s already been put in place and open to public use, showing customers the recycling process. To transform an old piece into a new one, ”Looop” costs H&M loyalty members kr100 SEK and non-members kr150 SEK (approx. $11 USD/$17 USD), with all of the proceeds goings towards research on materials.