Giro and Pearl Izumi Are Going All-In On Sustainable Fabrics
Two of cycling’s big apparel brands are transitioning to sustainable fabrics for 2019: Giro and Pearl Izumi are utilizing fabric recycled from previously-discarded nylon for their newest clothing lines.
High quality recycled nylon became a cost-effective, viable option for manufacturers in 2013, when Italy-based fiber manufacturer Aquafil launched Econyl, a nylon yarn made of recaptured fish nets, carpet, and garment scraps. Econyl is infinitely recyclable without a loss in quality, according to statements by Aquafil CEO Giulio Bonazzi, meaning that the bibs of today can indeed become the bibs of tomorrow. Why that’s huge: The petroleum-based silky fabric contributes 10 to 15 percent of the 71 million tons of waste generated yearly by textile industries worldwide.
Pearl Izumi’s 2019 clothing collection features Econyl’s yarn, as well as that of South-Korean nylon-recycler Hyosang. The full line includes 65 new, sustainable materials, featuring a variety of recycled weaves in polyester, elastane and merino wool - each customized for a particular piece of a particular garment. For 2020, Pearl has pledged that 30 percent of its apparel line will be made from recyclable, renewable, or organic materials, and by 2022 that figure will hit 90 percent.
Giro will be launching its “Renew” series next year, a line of items made with at least 50 percent recycled material, also including Econyl. Next year, every new bib and short style and 77 percent of all new items will be a part of that line.
“At this point, it’s just irresponsible to not use recycled materials,” says Giro Apparel Designer Margaux Jo Elliott. Recycled nylon costs ten to fifteen percent more than virgin material, and Giro has decided not to raise prices. “One thing we found among consumer trends was that if people wanted more eco-conscious products, they wouldn’t necessarily pay more for it. We hope the economies of scale down the road will help us make up the margin we lost.”
Among the current list of 129 Econyl-using brands, the lone cycling apparel manufacturer is Germany’s triple2, a small company marketing to loyal, eco-conscious consumers. Swimwear has actually dominated that list since 2013, from specialty and fashion brands to industry giants like Arena and Speedo, with the latter even initiating the first nylon takeback program. According to triple2 representative Maike Neihoff, customer feedback has been positive since their 2014 Econyl launch. Nonetheless, mainstream cycling manufacturers haven’t jumped on.
“Cycling has been super super slow to adapt to using recycled and more sustainable materials,” said Giro Apparel Designer Margaux Jo Elliott. “The outdoor industry has done a really good job. At [sports trade show] ISPO in February, every single brand that had a [trend-setting] impact was either custom or environmental products.”
“We’ve looked at a lot of outdoor studies and examples and really learned from them,” said Pearl Izumi’s Global Brand Manager, Andrew Hammond, explaining his company’s recent sustainability push. Heavyweight outdoor retailer REI is a big Pearl Izumi customer, he says. “Every year they have more of a request of the companies they support to be more responsible and more sustainable.”
The current efforts at both Giro and Pearl Izumi were born largely from personal and internal ethics. In fact, Pearl Izumi currently produces one pair of recycled nylon shorts-the PRO Pursuit Bibs-though that is neither advertised nor mentioned on their website. “It was just one product,” said Hammond. “We didn’t have a complete story to tell.”
Now they do. “We went through a process as a company where we uncovered our values and one of them was [environmental] impact, almost to a person. We wanted to make more sustainable product, and we decided to really put it into action.”
Hammond holds similar hopes for Pearl Izumi’s customers. “We felt that being committed to sustainable product is going to help us attract better people and achieve a higher level of performance.”
Still, such a move is a big risk. “Cycling is pretty deeply rooted in tradition...traditional materials, traditional outlook,” explained Elliot. “A lot of companies that have been doing cycling apparel have been doing it for a long time and change can sometimes rock the boat.”
Regardless, her brand is committed. “Whether or not people want it, we’re going to do it anyways because that’s the right thing to do.
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