再生棉如何应对不确定的牛仔布市场

工厂发现客户对季节性采购, 采取更加谨慎的态度，优先考虑多功能, 价值驱动的面料，而不是趋势驱动的新颖性和新的可持续理念。整个供应链, 公司正在收紧投资,，反映出在充满挑战的时期更广泛的保守主义意识。

Mills are seeing clients take a more cautious approach to seasonal sourcing, prioritizing versatile, value-driven fabrics over trend-driven novelties and new sustainable ideas. Across the supply chain, companies are tightening investments, reflecting a broader sense of conservatism in challenging times.

“公司不太可能尝试新的想法或产品。从客户到品牌—，每个人—都真正关注产品的价值主张。每个人的目标是以优惠的价格获得最好的产品,” Zahra Ahmed, ADM 可持续发展和营销主管说道。

“Companies are less likely to experiment with new ideas or products. Everyone—from customers to brands—are really focused on the value proposition of products. Everyone的 goal is to have the best product for a great price,” said Zahra Ahmed, ADM head of sustainability and marketing.

棉花担忧

Cotton concerns

与任何新想法, 一样，牛仔品牌需要时间才能看到再生棉的潜力。艾哈迈德看到许多客户经历了创新疲劳,，因为太多的可持续发展趋势未能推出。

As with any new idea, it took time to get denim brands to see recycled cotton的 potential. Ahmed saw many clients experiencing innovation fatigue, having seen too many sustainability trends fail to launch.

然而，, 牛仔布仍然是 Recover 的一个强劲且不断增长的领域。与 Revolve, Lands End 和 Perry Ellis 等领先品牌的合作不仅表明了对可持续牛仔布解决方案, 不断增长的需求，而且还表明了该公司的再生纤维的可靠性能和质量。与此同时, 公司继续积极解决有关再生纤维的持续担忧。

However, denim continues to be a strong and growing area for Recover. Partnerships with leading brands like Revolve, Lands End and Perry Ellis not only demonstrate the increasing demand for sustainable denim solutions, but also the proven performance and quality of the firm的 recycled fiber. At the same time, the company continues to proactively address ongoing concerns around regenerative fiber.

“对于由再生棉纤维制成的牛仔布有很多误解,，最常见的误解之一是它们’对整理工艺反应不佳。这种看法有时会阻碍更广泛的采用,” Alfredo Ferre, Recover 首席产品, 创新和可持续发展官表示。 “这就是’为什么我们不断挑战现状并倡导更可持续的纤维不会成为创造力的障碍。

“There are many misconceptions about denim made from recycled cotton fibers, one of the most common being that they don’t respond well to finishing processes. This perception can sometimes hinder wider adoption,” said Alfredo Ferre, Recover chief product, innovation and sustainability officer. “That的 why we continuously challenge the status quo and advocate for the idea that more sustainable fibers are not a barrier to creativity.

根据 Recover的 2024 年巴基斯坦和孟加拉国生产中心的 LCA,，与传统棉花相比，1 公斤 Recover 再生棉纤维可节省 100% 水, 93% CO2, 99.9% 富营养化, 96% 能源和 100% 土地利用。

Per Recover的 2024 LCA for production hubs in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the environmental savings of 1 kg of Recover recycled cotton fiber versus conventional cotton are 100 percent water, 93 percent CO2, 99.9 percent eutrophication, 96 percent energy and 100 percent land use.

Recover 平息担忧的一种方法是与供应链合作伙伴进行概念验证收集。 2023 年，, Recover 与西班牙后整理技术公司 Jeanologia, 合作推出了 Reiconics 系列，展示了如何利用可持续后整理技术, 以及含有高达 32% 再生棉的牛仔布来创造时尚独特的单品。

One way Recover quells concerns is through proof-of-concept collections with supply chain partners. In 2023, Recover launched the Reiconics collection with Spanish finishing technology firm Jeanologia, showing how it的 possible to create stylish and unique pieces using sustainable finishing techniques, with denim containing up to 32 percent recycled cotton.

最近，, Recover 与 Neela by Sapphire Fibers 合作，开发了一种采用再生纤维的圆形, 无染料牛仔布。 Ferre 表示，该系列旨在提供真正的牛仔美感，同时最大限度地减少对环境的影响,，这是通过零染色,、100% 可追溯性, 以及我们的 Recover Trace 技术, 的集成实现的，该技术在纤维中嵌入物理示踪剂，以验证其存在并确保整个供应链的完全透明度。

More recently, Recover partnered with Neela by Sapphire Fibers to develop a circular, dye-free denim with recycled fibers. Ferre said the collection was designed to deliver authentic denim aesthetics while minimizing environmental impact, achieved through zero dyeing, 100 percent traceability, and the integration of our Recover Trace technology, which embeds a physical tracer in the fiber to verify its presence and ensure full transparency throughout the supply chain.

“在牛仔布中缩放再生棉时的一个关键考虑因素是管理性能预期。虽然许多品牌的目标是复制原生棉的特性,，但重要的是要认识到再生棉的行为不同。与其将其视为限制,，不如说它为整个价值链的创新和协作打开了大门,” Ferre 说。

“One of the key considerations when scaling recycled cotton in denim is managing performance expectations. While many brands aim to replicate the characteristics of virgin cotton, it的 important to recognize that recycled cotton behaves differently. Rather than viewing this as a limitation, it opens the door for innovation and collaboration across the value chain,” Ferre said.

质量重于数量

Quality over quantity

Laura Vicaria, Denim Deal 项目总监 Laura Vicaria, Denim Deal 项目总监表示，创新和现实世界的产品, 日益证明再生棉会影响质量的观点。

The perception that recycled cotton compromises quality is increasingly being disproven by innovation and real-world products, according to Laura Vicaria, Denim Deal program director.

Denim Deal 通过建立强大的跨价值链合作,，将回收商, 工厂, 品牌, 和其他价值链合作伙伴聚集在一起，共同消除障碍，帮助解决再生棉问题。这一行业领先的举措致力于标准化牛仔布生产的循环实践，并推动到 2030 年生产 10 亿条含有至少 20% 消费后再生棉的牛仔裤。

Denim Deal helps tackle recycled cotton issues by creating strong cross-value chain collaboration, bringing together recyclers, mills, brands, and other value chain partners to remove the roadblocks together. The industry-leading initiative is committed to standardizing circular practices in denim production and to catalyze the production of 1 billion pairs of jeans containing at least 20 percent post-consumer recycled cotton by 2030.

20% 的最低比例被确定为利益相关者既雄心勃勃又可实现的起点。 “它向市场发出了一个强烈的信号，即今天可以扩大牛仔布的循环性,，而不是在遥远的未来,” Vicaria 说。 “此阈值在环境影响和生产可行性之间取得了适当的平衡,鼓励品牌采取行动，同时为创新,改进,和可扩展性留出空间。我们的目标是表明大规模整合消费后回收不仅是必要的，而且是可行的。”

The 20 percent minimum was established as both an ambitious and achievable starting point for stakeholders. “It sends a strong signal to the market that scaling circularity in denim is possible today, not in some distant future,” Vicaria said. “This threshold strikes the right balance between environmental impact and production feasibility, encouraging brands to act while allowing room for innovation, improvement, and scalability. Our goal is to show that integrating post-consumer recycled at scale is not only necessary but also viable.”

Isko 发现人们对纺织品到纺织品解决方案的兴趣日益浓厚。 “我们的客户非常关心外观,感觉,和性能，当他们看到我们的再生牛仔布满足所有这些要求,时，可持续发展故事就变成了更强大的奖励。的时尚与功能的融合使其发挥作用,” Mirela Slowik, Isko 类别领导者说道。

Isko is seeing growing interest in textile-to-textile solutions. “Our clients care deeply about look, feel, and performance and when they see that our recycled denim checks all those boxes, the sustainability story becomes an even stronger bonus. It的 that blend of fashion and function that makes it work,” said Mirela Slowik, Isko category leader.

对于 Spring/Summer 2026,，土耳其工厂推出了 Recode Denim,，这是一种利用下一代再生纤维和“突破性纤维回收技术的面料概念。”

For Spring/Summer 2026, the Turkish mill introduced Recode Denim, a fabric concept that leverages next-generation recycled fibers and “groundbreaking fiber recovery techniques.”

借助 Recode,，Isko 在织物, 成分方面提供了更大的灵活性，允许品牌选择不同级别的 GRS 认证再生纤维和 FSC/Canopy 认证纤维，以更好地符合其独特的循环目标。我们的目标是提供卓越的性能和风格，同时保持高可持续性标准—，证明提升的设计不必以牺牲质量为代价。

With Recode, Isko offers greater flexibility in the composition of fabrics, allowing brands to choose varying levels of GRS-certified recycled and FSC/Canopy-certified fibers to better align with their unique circularity goals. The goal is to deliver premium performance and style while maintaining high sustainability standards—proving that elevated design doesn’t have to come at the expense of quality.

“我们的方法现在更具战略性:我们’正在将回收的内容整合到真正表现最佳的地方。由于圆形度是我们工作的核心,，这种转变有助于我们从我们回收的纤维中获得最大的价值和影响,” 她说。

“Our approach is now even more strategic: we’re integrating recycled content where it truly performs best. As circularity is at the heart of what we do, this shift helps us get the most value and impact from the fibers we recover,” she said.

Isko 利用母公司, Sanko Group, 旗下的纺织品到纺织品回收公司 Re&Up, 来回收棉花和聚酯。 Slowik 表示，由于聚酯纤维的情况更加微妙，再生棉仍然是最受欢迎的。大多数客户要求使用 30% 左右的回收材料，以符合监管基准。

Isko utilizes Re&Up, the textile-to-textile recycling firm by parent company, Sanko Group, for recycled cotton and polyester. Slowik said recycled cotton continues to be the most in-demand as polyester is more nuanced. Most clients request around 30 percent recycled content to aligns with regulatory benchmarks.

“ 让我们与众不同的是我们如何将再生纤维设计到纱线芯中，赋予我们卓越的耐用性，经过测试，其耐用性比目前市场上其他再生面料选择好三倍以上,” 她补充道。

“What sets us apart is how we engineer recycled fibers into the core of the yarn giving us exceptional durability that has tested over three times better than other recycled fabric options currently on the market,” she added.

牛仔布中再生棉的最佳百分比可能会因多种因素而异,，包括品牌要求, 最终产品的性能要求, 纤维类型, 纱线支数, 纺纱系统, 生产设置，甚至根据 Ferre 的说法，, 使用的废棉类型,。

The optimal percentage of recycled cotton in denim can vary depending on several factors, including brand requirements, performance requirements of the end-product, fiber type, yarn count, spinning system, production setup and even the type of cotton waste used, according to Ferre.

“虽然’没有固定范围可以保证质量和耐用性,，但市场上牛仔布中最常见的机械再生棉百分比通常在 10% 到 20% 之间,” 他说。 “这个范围反映了许多品牌在提高可持续性和保持面料性能,美观,和耐用性之间取得的平衡。随着技术的发展和供应链的适应,，我们预计整个行业的这一百分比将逐渐增加。

“While there的 no fixed range that guarantees both quality and durability, the most common percentage of mechanically recycled cotton found in denim in the market typically falls between 10 percent and 20 percent,” he said. “This range reflects a balance that many brands strike between improving sustainability and maintaining fabric performance, aesthetics, and durability. As technologies evolve and supply chains adapt, we expect to see this percentage gradually increase across the industry.

他补充说，值得注意的是，GRS 等行业标准通常默认为 20% 的回收含量阈值。

He added that it的 worth noting that industry standards like GRS often default to a 20 percent recycled content threshold.

, ADM 平均在其牛仔面料中加入了 20–30% 的再生棉。根据 Ahmed, 的说法，这个范围代表了“ 最佳点”，其中再生牛仔布的性能和触感与非再生面料相匹配。她补充说，任何更高的值都会影响产品的生存能力,。

On average, ADM incorporates 20–30 percent recycled cotton into its denim fabrics. According to Ahmed, this range represents the “sweet spot” where the performance and feel of recycled denim match those of non-recycled fabric. Anything higher can impact product viability, she added.

“我们绝不想降低产品’的质量，只是说我们’正在实现 XYZ 可持续发展目标。我们的目标始终是保持产品完整性符合我们为自己设定的标准以及客户对我们的期望,，同时成功地融入回收成分,” Ahmed 说。

“We never want to degrade a product的 quality to just say that we’re achieving XYZ sustainability goal. The goal is always to keep product integrity at the standards we set for ourselves and what our customers expect from us, while also successfully incorporating recycled component,” Ahmed said.

完全由再生棉制成的牛仔裤现已成为现实。去年，Gabriela Hearst 推出了 100% 再生棉牛仔裤系列，售价为 24950%。 Vicaria 表示，该系列有力地诠释了可持续牛仔布设计的可能性。

Jeans made entirely from recycled cotton are now a reality. Last year Gabriela Hearst launched a collection of 100 percent recycled cotton jeans priced at $950. Vicaria said the collection is a powerful statement on what的 possible in sustainable denim design.

“We 还看到 Tommy Hilfiger 和 Kuyichi 等其他品牌达到了类似的里程碑,，这表明这不是孤立的努力，而是行业更广泛转变的一部分。她说，越来越多的品牌瞄准更高的回收含量,，这充分说明了对循环利用的日益增长的承诺，特别是,对回收棉的使用,”。

“We’ve also seen other brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Kuyichi reach similar milestones, showing that this is not an isolated effort but part of a broader shift in the industry. More and more brands are aiming for higher recycled content, which speaks volumes about the growing commitment to circularity and specifically, to the use of recycled cotton,” she said.

Vicaria 补充说，在大多数情况下，100% 再生牛仔裤, 品牌都使用消费后再生棉和消费前再生棉的混合物。 “实现 100% 回收成分仍然是一个挑战, 特别是当由于其有限的可用性和处理复杂性而专门关注消费后回收时。但通过持续的合作和创新,，就像我们在牛仔布交易中培育的,，这种雄心壮志变得越来越可行,”，她说。

Vicaria added that in most cases of 100 percent recycled jeans, brands use blends of post-consumer recycled and pre-consumer recycled cotton. “Achieving 100 percent recycled content is still a challenge, particularly when focusing exclusively on post-consumer recycled due to its limited availability and processing complexity. But with continued collaboration and innovation, like what we foster in the Denim Deal, this level of ambition is becoming increasingly feasible,” she said.

虽然 100 个再生棉牛仔布系列是该行业的重要里程碑, Ahmed 指出，这些牛仔裤可能没有广泛的大众市场吸引力— 而且不仅仅是因为其奢华的价格标签。

While 100 recycled cotton denim collections are important milestones for the industry, Ahmed noted that these jeans may not have broad mass-market appeal—and it的 not only because of the luxury price tag.

挑战在于织物本身:，随着再生棉用量的增加,，由于纤维的短纤长度较短，牛仔布往往会变得更硬—这一属性与消费者对柔软度和舒适度的偏好背道而驰。

The challenge lies in the fabric itself: as the amount of recycled cotton increases, the denim tends to become stiffer due to the shorter staple length of the fibers—an attribute that runs counter to consumer preferences for softness and comfort.

“您始终可以增加回收成分的百分比,，但随后产品开始发生变化,”她说。 “今天,消费者追求的始终是柔软的手感。”

“You can always increase the percentage of recycled content, but then the product begins to change,” she said. “Today, what consumers are looking for is always a soft hand feel.”

克服挑战

Overcoming challenges

尽管纺织厂在经济挑战下仍对再生棉的持久力持乐观态度,，但其地位并不完全稳固。

While mills remain optimistic about the staying power of recycled cotton amid economic challenges, its position is not entirely secure.

展望未来, Ahmed 预计公司将把可持续发展重点转向可以为消费者提供价值和质量的可操作项目。针对再生纤维的循环指南和 ESG 目标能否满足这些要求还有待观察。

Looking ahead, Ahmed anticipates companies to shift their sustainability focus to actionable items that can deliver both value and quality to consumers. Whether circularity guidelines and ESG targets focused on regenerative fibers will meet these demands remains to be seen.

Slowik 指出了阻碍更广泛采用再生棉的几个关键挑战: 高质量纤维的供应有限, 成本较高, 混纺技术困难, 以及对产品耐用性的担忧。

Slowik points to several key challenges hindering the broader adoption of recycled cotton: limited availability of high-quality fibers, higher costs, technical difficulties in blending, and concerns about product durability.

“那里绝对是一个差距，通常归结为法规与意图,” Slowik 说。 “许多品牌正在努力满足不断发展的合规框架,，这是至关重要的第一步。但要使再生纤维有意义地扩展,，它们不仅需要被视为一项要求，而且还需要被视为一种战略材料选择。这种转变正在开始发生,，我们相信气候现实和资源稀缺带来的压力只会加速这一转变。”

“There的 definitely a gap and often it comes down to regulations versus intention,” Slowik said. “Many brands are working to meet evolving compliance frameworks, which is a crucial first step. But for recycled fibers to scale meaningfully, they need to be embraced not just as a requirement but as a strategic material choice. That shift is starting to happen, and we believe rising pressure from climate realities and resource scarcity will only accelerate it.”

Vicaria 认为采购, 纤维质量, 的一致性和供应链协调是最紧迫的障碍。她强调，消费后纺织品回收需要可靠的系统来收集,、分类,并大规模处理—这些系统仍在全球范围内开发和扩展。

Vicaria identified sourcing, consistency in fiber quality, and supply chain alignment as some of the most pressing obstacles. She stressed that post-consumer textile recycling requires reliable systems to collect, sort, and process at scale—systems that are still being developed and scaled globally.

费雷强调了质量控制的重要性，以确保再生棉始终融入供应链。 “管理原材料输入和细分纺织废物流也至关重要,，因为每个回收商对原料质量和成分都有特定要求。他说，通过更好的分类和分类系统支持回收参与者可以显着提高纤维产量和性能,”。

Ferre underscored the importance of quality control to ensure consistent integration of recycled cotton into supply chains. “Managing raw material inputs and segmenting textile waste streams is also critical, as each recycler has specific requirements for feedstock quality and composition. Supporting recycling actors with better sorting and classification systems can significantly improve fiber yield and performance,” he said.

然而，, 参与 Denim Deal 等计划提供了一条前进的道路,，使品牌能够共享知识, 池资源并访问即插即用供应链等现成的解决方案。

However, membership in initiatives like the Denim Deal offers a pathway forward, enabling brands to share knowledge, pool resources and access ready-made solutions like plug-and-play supply chains.

“Denim Deal 根据行业反馈和立法要求提供循环指南。成员受益于协作, 教育, 信息交流, 行动驱动的试点和研讨会。集体努力确保没有任何一个组织是孤立工作, 该组织声明,” 她说。

“Denim Deal provides circular guidelines based on industry feedback and legislative requirements. Members benefit from collaboration, education, exchanging information, action-driven pilots and workshops. A collective effort ensures that no single organization is working in isolation, the organization states,” she said.

艾哈迈德强调，再生棉采用方面有意义的,全行业变化取决于主要参与者的更大承诺。

Ahmed emphasized that meaningful, industry-wide change in recycled cotton adoption hinges on greater commitment from major players.

“客户有很多选择,，但在推动行业变革方面，只有少数品牌名列前茅,”她说。 “当大品牌决定将资金投入这些举措,时，涓滴效应是积极的，因为该行业的规模变化。当您拥有可持续的卷驱动程序, 时，一切都会就位。”

“Customers have many options, but just a few brands rise to the top when it comes to driving industry change,” she said. “When big brands decide to put their money behind these initiatives, the trickle-down effect is positive because the industry moves at volume. When you have a volume driver that that is sustainable, it all kind of clicks into place.”

本文发表于《SJ Denim》杂志。点击此处阅读更多内容。

This article was published in SJ Denim magazine. Click here to read more.

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