The H&M Foundation attracted headlines in the industry press recently when it announced that it was entering into a five-year partnership with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel (HKRITA).
The non-profit, funded by the owners of Swedish fashion giant H&M, is investing US$12 million into the 'Planet First' programme to explore high-tech solutions to some of the industry's key sustainability challenges.
Developments so far include the 'Green Machine', a hydrothermal textile recycling process which claims to be the first to separate and recycle mixed cotton and polyester fibres at scale, and 'The Looop' in-store recycling machine which turns consumers' old clothes into new garments.
