ImagesMagUK_December_2020

IS ECOWEAR sourced most of its fabrics from three of the biggest mills that are leading the field: Topgreen, Repreve and Perpetual. Once we could be sure we could make a recycled garment that felt the same as – or now even better than – one using normal yarns, at a price that was affordable, we committed to producing a serious, sustainable range. Why ‘Genuine Recycled’? Result has created a traceable system should a customer want verification that the yarn is ‘Genuine Recycled’ – without this it is quite easy for anyone to claim a garment is recycled. How long did it take to bring these new styles to market? The sourcing process for this range started five years ago and was finalised in 2019; we had initially planned a mid-2020 launch, but Covid-19 pushed this back to January 2021. Do recycled fabrics offer the same level of performance as non-recycled fabrics? Straight answer: yes. As a market leader, performance along with texture and price is very important to us, and these fabrics are especially suitable for softshell and fleece. Result launched its softshell range in 2006 and was the first brand in the trade leisure and uniform market to stock such brandable garments, along with its A ccording to research from GlobalData, 37.3% of UK consumers agree that retailers that place greater emphasis on sustainability are more appealing. Transparency in how garments are made is a key driver of purchasing, the data analysis company adds. The launch of Result’s first recycled range, Genuine Recycled, fits the bill: made from yarns using 100% post- consumer PET recycled plastic bottles, each style is accompanied by a graphic illustrating the equivalent number of bottles used in making the garment. David Sanders-Smith, Result’s managing director, discusses the new range and how the company’s launch of affordable, high-quality, recycled workwear is only the beginning of the company’s journey to a more sustainable future. What prompted you to develop the Genuine Recycled range? For over 20 years, we have always encouraged our factories to use recycled materials. Initially, back in the 1990s, factories thought the use of recycled materials would be frowned on so it was only when we started to teach them of the environmental benefits of this, and how more and more companies built their policy on using sustainable materials, that we started to see mills investing in using post-consumer PET plastic. However, because the early yarns produced were not strong enough and the finish was hard and rigid, the recycled yarns could only be used as fillings – and even then the process was vastly more expensive than using standard yarns. The last few years have seen a huge leap forward in the technology of recycling PET and a complete change in quality and, although there are still some productions using yarns that make a hard finish to the garments, Result has Sustainability is increasingly a key purchasing factor for consumers in the UK, with even online retail giant Asos launching its first ‘circular fashion collection’ in September. Result is responding to this with the launch in January 2021 of its new Genuine Recycled range The real (green) deal 40 images DECEMBER 2020 first pill- resistant fleeces in 1998. We have continued to lead the way in this industry – we were the first brand to launch a printable softshell, which we are now carrying over into the Recycled 3-Layer Printable Softshell The new Recycled Double Knit Printers Beanie; Result sells more than 2.5 million knitted hats a year The Recycled 2-Layer Printable Softshell Jacket