RE&UP Recycled Cotton Fibers Power Zalando Private Label T-Shirt Collection
RE&UP Recycling Technologies’ Next-Gen Cotton has been used in a new Zalando private-label t-shirt collection, bringing textile-to-textile recycled fibers into commercial fashion production.
The collection, launched on Zalando in August, features five t-shirts from YOURTURN by Zalando and Even&Odd by Zalando. The garments are made using a circular-knit fabric containing 80% organic cotton and 20% RE&UP Next-Gen Cotton, a textile-to-textile recycled fiber produced from textile waste.
The collaboration marks the first time RE&UP’s recycled fibers have been incorporated into Zalando’s private-label assortment, representing a step toward greater adoption of recycled textile fibers in mainstream fashion.
RE&UP’s proprietary recycling technology processes pre- and post-consumer textile waste through sorting, deconstruction and decolorization. The resulting recycled materials are designed to meet the technical, performance and traceability requirements needed for commercial textile manufacturing.
The partnership also highlights the industry’s shift from small-scale recycling trials toward commercially scalable textile-to-textile recycling. By integrating recycled fibers into an established private-label product range, the initiative demonstrates how brands can introduce next-generation materials while maintaining existing quality requirements.
“Industrial-scale circularity is no longer aspirational but operational,” said Özgür Atsan, Chief Commercial Officer of RE&UP. He added that collaborations of this kind can help brands move from pilot projects toward repeatable and scalable production.
Frederic Teufel, Commercial Director Private Labels at Zalando, said the partnership enabled the company to develop a commercial t-shirt range using a 20% Next-Gen Cotton blend while meeting its quality standards.
The collaboration underlines the growing role of textile-to-textile recycling in reducing dependence on virgin raw materials. With recycled fibers combined with traceability, quality and production capacity, RE&UP and Zalando are demonstrating a potential pathway for integrating circular materials into commercial fashion supply chains.