For years they have been considered a dead end in the textile industry: mixed fiber waste, such as nylon and elastane, which is difficult to separate and impossible to truly recycle. Today, however, they become new underwear items, ready to return to the market. Not as a laboratory experiment, but as a concrete result of an industrial project that talks about applied circular economy.
The protagonist is RadiciGroup, which together with The Lycra Company and the Triumph lingerie brand completed a four-year research journey. The result is an underwear set made from textile waste, defined by the partners themselves as an unprecedented innovation for the sector.
The problem to be resolved has been known for some time: fabrics that combine different fibres, especially when they contain elastane, almost always end up in landfill or incinerators. The reason is simple. Separating such intertwined materials is complex, expensive and often unsustainable. This is precisely where the work of Radici InNova, the research center of the Bergamo group, comes in, which has developed a chemical process capable of selectively dissolving the fibres, recovering them without compromising their quality.
The key point is the method. This is not shredding or “downward” recycling, but a technology that uses non-toxic and reusable solvents, allowing nylon and elastane to be separated and reintroduced into the production cycle. The recovered nylon becomes a new yarn, while the Lycra fiber is regenerated directly by the company that developed it.
From roots to lingerie
From here we get to the final product. Triumph used this regenerated fabric to create an underwear set consisting of bra and panties, demonstrating that circularity is not just a declaration of intent, but can translate into a concrete, wearable garment, ready for the market.
It’s not a minor detail. Underwear is one of the most complex sectors to make sustainable: technical fabrics, elasticity, resistance, comfort. Demonstrating that these garments can also be made from waste means opening a new path for the entire fashion supply chain.
According to the companies involved, the project has potential that goes beyond the single product. Triumph has already spoken about the possibility of developing a capsule collection, while The Lycra Company looks at this technology as a replicable solution for other brands and other types of fabric.
At a time when the fashion industry is called upon to reduce its environmental impact in a concrete way, this project illustrates a possible transition: less virgin raw material, less waste, more value to what is discarded today. Without slogans, but with an industrial process that works.
And perhaps this is precisely the most interesting aspect: not a promise for the future, but practical proof that even from the most difficult scraps something new can be born.
You might also be interested in:
