Re-Cyclone is an innovative research and development program that Candiani Denim, a pioneer in sustainable denim manufacturing, has launched with the goal of producing recycled denim that is both post-industrial and post-consumer. In order to create a reliable supply of recyclable denim materials, this effort combines Candiani’s patented technologies with the recycling know-how of Humana People to People Italia and Filatura Astro. A variety of textiles with differing amounts of recycled material are part of the line.
People to People in Humana Italia plays an important part by gathering used clothing through containers positioned thoughtfully around Italy. Button, zipper, patch, and other trims are removed from these clothes—many of which are too worn or damaged to be used again—in order to recycle them.
Because mechanical post-consumer recycled fabric has a lower fiber strength than post-industrial recycled fibers, Candiani admits the current limits in manufacturing 100% mechanical post-consumer recycled fabric. The mill’s own Blue Seed cotton, which was launched in 2022, is improving the strength and durability of post-consumer recycled fabrics nevertheless and is making progress in this regard.
The Re-Cyclone textiles also incorporate Candiani’s own Kitotex sizing technology, which substitutes chitosan, a biobased polymer derived from renewable resources, for PVA, a petroleum-based polymer. Indigo juice, a dyeing technique that retains color more surface on the yarns, also helps the fabrics by streamlining the fading process and giving the denim a distinctive character.
