Klopman International, based in Frosinone, Italy, is participating in a large-scale circular economy project aimed at reducing energy consumption and localizing the supply chain for workwear materials in Europe, which is now 85% reliant on non-European countries.

Klopman is developing arrangements with clients to take back and recycle workwear at the end of its initial life cycle, in collaboration with sister workwear businesses Renaissance Textile and TDV Industries in France. This will enable the production of new fabrics that contain an increasing quantity of recycled fiber and may be resold.

The innovative Andritz Laroche recycling machinery that has been installed for Renaissance in Laval, France, where the clothing will be organized, processed, and then turned into new raw materials, is an important aspect of the project.

The company has established several goals for 2024, the most important of which is to expand to three fabric tearing lines and recycle up to 9,000 tons of fabric (equal to 30 million garments) by that year. By 2026, this is expected to result in a CO2 reduction of 430,000 tons.

The goal is to create a regenerated fabric made of premium fibers that have the same life cycle as a fabric made of virgin fibers.

Amaury Sartorius, managing director of Klopman, said that they’re happy to be actively working with and supporting such an important project. By turning a problem into a big opportunity, this idea has the enormous potential to make a meaningful change in our society. Their sales team will be reaching out to those who have worn garments and textiles in the coming weeks in order to help Renaissance Textile achieve its goals.

Klopman has been a European leader in the development and marketing of technical fabrics for workwear for more than 50 years, with over 170 styles and colors to choose from. Klopman fabrics are more resistant to wear, shrinkage, and color change thanks to advanced technology and centralized process management, which monitors and simultaneously corrects 4,000 machine stitches.