How We Use Recycled Materials

To reduce our environmental footprint, we incorporate recycled materials in the clothes we produce. Christiane Fagertun, Head of Sustainability at Varner, has shared more about the materials we use at Cubus.

Clothing production is a burden on both the climate and the environment, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, high water consumption, and chemicals. We aim to reduce our negative impact and have specialists working on this. Christiane Fagertun is Head of Sustainability in Varner. Cubus has been part of Varner since 1989.

– Varner’s goal is to use 100% preferred fibers by 2025. These fibers have a smaller environmental footprint than conventional ones and often include recycled materials or renewable resources. Recycled polyester, or biobased polyester that doesn't come from oil, are examples of these fibers, says Christiane.

Recycled Materials and Challenges

By using more recycled fibers, we replace non-renewable resources with existing ones. You can already find several products made from recycled fibers at Cubus, but there are still challenges in increasing the use of recycled materials, says Christiane.

– There’s a challenge with the low availability of some fiber groups and their higher cost. More production of recycled fibers and greater market demand are needed to improve access to these fibers at a competitive price.

What Recycled Materials Can You Find at Cubus?

At Cubus, we aim to choose recycled fibers where possible. You can already find garments and products made from recycled polyester, recycled cotton, and recycled plastic. Cotton is still the most used fiber at Varner, accounting for 61% of the materials we use in 2021, while synthetic fibers come second.

– Cubus has 30% synthetic fibers. We still have a way to go regarding recycled synthetic fibers, but our goal is to increase the proportion of recycled materials, and that’s what we’re working towards. Even if the percentage isn’t high today, it remains a focus area, explains Christiane.

– In 2021, we signed a pledge to work toward using more recycled polyester. This is part of an initiative by Textile Exchange and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The pledge, called The Recycled Polyester Challenge, aims to increase the global percentage of recycled polyester from 14% to 45% by 2025.

Certification Schemes

Cubus uses a variety of certified fibers, including organic cotton, recycled polyester, and wool. The certification schemes Cubus uses are third-party certifications, meaning an independent party verifies that the set standards are followed. This adds credibility to the standards and gives us confidence that these fibers are more sustainable than conventional ones.

Cubus uses organic cotton certified by the Organic Content Standard (OCS), which ensures the cotton is organically grown, or GOTS certified cotton, which also sets standards for both working conditions and environmental practices.

For animal fibers like wool and down, we use the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and Responsible Down Standard (RDS) to ensure good animal welfare.

Would you like to read more about how we work with recycled fibers? You can find more information on Varner’s website and in the Varner Sustainability Report 2023.

If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to [email protected].