Testing next-gen fibres: First Fiber Club pieces launch

When we joined the first edition of the Fiber Club, we teamed up with textile recycler Circ® alongside other leading brands. Our objective was simple: participate in collaborative pilot projects to test next-generation materials in real-world supply chains. Because next-gen fibers still make up less than 1% of global fiber production, testing them requires shared effort among industry partners. This year, we joined a second round of the initiative, this time with agricultural waste innovator AltMat. This month, the first pieces from both of these pilot projects became available to Zalando customers. 

Fibres from innovative textile-to-textile recycled materials with Circ® 

Through the Fiber Club’s work with Circ®, our private label Anna Field released a capsule collection featuring a blouse and a dress. The pieces are made from a blend of 51% viscose and 49% Liva Reviva™ x Circ® Lyocell – a fibre containing 30% Circ® recycled pulp recovered from post-industrial poly cotton textile waste.

Blended fabrics like polycotton are typically difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills or incinerators. Circ®’s technology separates these blends so we can recover both components for new fibres. This round of Fiber Club gave us the chance to test how recycled polycotton performs in real garments, evaluating quality and wearability on a small scale.

Exploring agricultural waste to fibre innovation with AltMat 

Building on the success of the first Fiber Club with Circ®, we’ve joined the initiative with AltMat as a founding brand signatory alongside C&A. It focuses on testing Altag®, a natural fibre made from food, medicinal and non-textile crop residues that would otherwise go unused or be burnt in the field.

Our first Altag® pieces are two knit pieces, a t-shirt and a cardigan, in a blend of 80% organic cotton and 20% Altag®. We shared our technical requirements and production feedback with AltMat to help develop the fibre for existing mills and everyday garments. In turn, we gathered practical data on how agricultural waste fibres integrate into standard manufacturing processes and meet our fabric specifications.

About Fiber Club

Developed by Circ® in partnership with Fashion for Good and Canopy, Fiber Club brings brands, innovators and supply chain partners together to pilot next-generation materials in real supply chains. Bringing a new material to market at scale requires collaboration across the value chain. Brands need confidence in reliable supply before committing to a new material, while innovators depend on committed demand to scale production. 

By pooling orders to meet minimum volumes, Fiber Club provides brands with access to an innovator’s materials, secure supply terms, and seamless integration into existing supply chains.