We're part of the club!

Next-generation materials (see more below) are key to transforming the fashion industry. Fashion for Good points out that while these materials could help cut the industry's reliance on virgin resources and make fashion more circular, they’re still not widely available on a large scale. Even though 51% of brands have committed to using more sustainable materials by 2030, next-gen materials currently make up less than 1% of global production. What barriers prevent wider adoption of next-gen materials? Scaling their adoption presents systemic challenges, requiring extensive research, rigorous testing, and new supply chain models, and addressing significant price premiums compared to conventional materials.

At Zalando, we’re dedicated to making fashion more responsible — not just within our own operations but by supporting our partners and suppliers in doing the same. That’s why we’re excited to be part of Fiber Club, a pioneering initiative from Fashion for Good, along with NGO Canopy and textile recycling innovator Circ. By joining forces, we’re helping to speed up the transition to next-gen materials and make them more accessible across the industry.

Teaming up to tackle industry barriers

Fiber Club is designed to address the industry’s biggest hurdles in scaling next-gen materials. Through Fiber Club, brands pool demand for materials to optimise costs, streamline supply chains, and establish standardised fabric specifications. By bringing brands together, the initiative aims to make resources more accessible and cost-effective. Zalando takes an active role in Fiber Club in two key ways: as an anchor partner, shaping the initiative’s future, and through our Private Labels, alongside other leading brands like Bestseller, Everlane, and EILEEN FISHER. “We are leveraging our industry expertise and internal insights to not only shape this initiative, but to help scale its impact through our unique ecosystem”, explains Pascal Brun, VP of Sustainability and D&I at Zalando. 

Each cycle, Fiber Club partners with different material innovators to test and develop new solutions. For the 2025/2026 round, we’re teaming up with Circ, a leader in textile recycling. Brands in the club will get access to Circ’s recycled lyocell, a fiber made from textile waste using a closed-loop process.

Piloting change for the fashion industry 

In 2025-2026, Zalando’s Private Labels will prototype Circ’s recycled lyocell in a pilot collection, ensuring product quality before market launch. “In our Private Labels, we already use lyocell and viscose materials that meet our sustainability product standards, such as Lenzing’s EcoVero and Tencel fibers. However, scaling recycled lyocell remains a challenge,” explains Cem Oztat, Head of Private Labels Sourcing and Operations at Zalando. “With Fiber Club, we will not only work to standardise demand and gain greater quality and flexibility but also enable cost efficiencies to make it commercially viable to scale up next gen materials in the future."