G2G – a miniaturized recycling machine to change perception
Recycling old garments is still a fairly new habit, and while the awareness is increasing only a fraction of all textiles disposed are being recycled today. For the fashion industry to become fully circular, there is an urgent need to change people’s perception of old garments and see it as a resource instead of waste. The G2G is a way to let consumers experience recycling live, and understand its possibilities.
Many of us have heard of textile recycling. But how many have experienced it? Very few. We believe seeing is believing – you can’t change a behaviour if you don’t believe in it. The G2G – or the Garment-2-Garment machine, is an attempt to make the whole recycling process transparent and easy to get. Here, people can walk around the glass box and see each step of the recycling process happening in front of their eyes.
The G2G is located in a refurbished factory building in Hong Kong that has been turned into a creative space with incubators, retail shops and cultural events. Here, customers can drop by with their grandmother’s old favourite jumper, and turn it into a new, updated favourite.
How it works
Customers bring their unwanted clothes and watch the container-sized system dissemble and assemble their garments into new fashion finds. The garments go through an eight-step process with a significant lower environmental footprint than producing garments from scratch.
- Sanitization
- Opening
- Cleaning
- Carding
- Drawing
- Rotor spinning
- Doubling and twisting
- Knitting
Why it’s important
No matter how good the recycling techniques may be, if there are no recycled textiles to use, the mission falls short. The industry needs consumers to recycle their old garments, instead of throwing it in the bin. At the H&M Foundation, we believe we have a role to play to educate, inspire and nudge people into new habits. This is why we support the G2G.
Inviting brands and retailers to join
Our goal is to enable change for the entire fashion industry. Therefore, the technology and construction of the G2G is open for all brands, retailers and businesses to use. The more we can spread the word about textile recycling, the better.
The G2G is the result of a collaboration between HKRITA, the H&M Foundation and Novetex.
The G2G has been awarded the Red Dot Award 2019 and a finalist in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards. In 2020, H&M opened its doors to the G2G, called Looop, in one of their flagship stores.
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