Minimum: Circular collection by recycling unsold styles
The Danish fashion brand Minimum breathes new life into their stock of unsold styles with help from new and revolutionizing recycling technology, developed by Valérius 360 and commercialized by Textile Pioneers.
Minimum creates circular collection by recycling unsold styles
As part of Minimum’s sustainable transition, the brand is taking the next steps towards circularity. By recycling unsold styles into new fabrics for coming collections, the brand takes action when it comes to the environmental impacts of the fashion industry’s endemic excess production. Together with the Danish textile production and innovation company Textile Pioneers, Minimum is turning old, obsolete stock into new, more relevant styles. Previously, it was only possible to recycle cut-offs and textile waste from production, but with this new innovation and partnership, Minimum can achieve full circularity in a product-to-fibre-to-product process; a true game-changer for the fashion industry.
A green innovation with a no-waste policy
The mechanical and chemicals-free process of the product-to-product recycling takes place at the circular factories of Valérius 360 and Valérius Hub Group in Portugal. At Valérius 360, the styles are collected and sorted by colour, structure, and composition, then shredded and mechanically processed into new yarn. All steps of the production process happen within a radius of 50 kilometres, using renewable energy as the only footprint, making it an even greener solution for textile recycling. The innovative set-up was started at the beginning of 2020 and was fully developed by the end of 2021, making Minimum the first brand to convert its unsold stock into new styles at Valérius 360.
The recycled fabric from Minimum’s own products is the first example of using the technology. Moving forward, the brand will explore other ways to utilize the option for recycling both pre and postconsumer textiles.
"Minimum and large parts of our industry are making huge progress in thinking and operating more responsibly, but there is still a long way to go, and we want to be a part of setting new standards. We already do a lot to minimize overproduction, but it happens and when it does, we believe that it is better to e.g. find ways to reuse our own products than to discharge them and compensate by planting a tree somewhere. We strongly believe that we should start by cleaning up our own mess"
About Minimum
The Danish fashion brand Minimum is known for creating contemporary classics, designed with a modern Nordic aesthetic. Focusing on trans-seasonal styles and lasting qualities for affordable prices, the brand launches four annual male and female collections alongside their permanent ‘Essentials’ collection, including deliberate sustainable choices in each style.