René Frei, President of Embrex, looks back on how the genesis of the project began.
While there has been a wide offer of recycled products for swimwear, hosiery and loungewear, the same cannot be said of the bra category…
It’s true. The main reason lies in the complexity of bras, requiring the assembly of many different parts, all of which must be recycled for the finished product to be certified. As concerns the main fabric, we are currently in the final phase of this long process, while for the whole finished product, Aubade is still working on it.
How were you able to successfully carry out this project?
First of all, we started very early on, at the end of 2018, and established a clear goal with Aubade: to create a very visual, extremely smooth and elastic line, which, in addition, would be entirely eco-friendly. The limited availability of recycled yarns and the covid related delays in the procedures due have not stopped us, and we have continued and intensified testing over the last eight months in order to obtain GRS certification. To be honest, if we are succeeding in this challenge, it is thanks to a sincere mutual trust, but also to the flexibility provided by our Swiss and European production sites.
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From a purely technical point of view, recycled yarns do not necessarily have the same characteristics and the same performance as a new yarn…
Yes, we first had to find a suitable tulle base, then develop a setting that would ensure maximum smoothness and elasticity, while guaranteeing the visual result that only embroidery can achieve.
The pandemic seems to have slowed down the enthusiasm for sustainability. What are your thoughts?
The pandemic has certainly slowed down the projects in progress. This line is a first but many customers, brands or retailers, have set the very ambitious goal of designing 100% recycled products in their collections within 5 years. We are only at the start of the sustainable transformation. The real problem now is the availability of recycled yarns and the related price fluctuations.
Do you have other projects currently underway with other clients?
Yes, and by 2021, we will be able to offer our recycled lines in Asia as well.
