Icebreaker is shifting the remaining 4% of the synthetic fibres it uses towards those that source carbon content either wholly or partially from plants.
The news comes as the New Zealand-born global brand fell short of its ‘plastic-free by 23’ goal, hitting 96.14%.
Director of materials and innovation Jordi Beneyto Ferre said the remaining 4% of synthetic fibres serve specific and necessary performance requirements, including stretch to underwear and socks.
“In these instances, the use of synthetic fibres is hard to avoid, as you would not get the type of body-hugging performance out of the product without the use of elastane,” Ferre said. “For these cases, we have on-boarded the use of fibers which source their carbon content either wholly or partially from plants.”
In 2018, the New Zealand-born brand started its plastic-free journey, when 84% of its fibres were natural or plant-based. In 2020, it set a goal to be ‘plastic-free by 23’.
Icebreaker is confident it will be able to achieve its plastic-free mission, as it expects to hit 97.10% by the end of 2024.
As part of its journey so far, the brand has substituted 14% of its remaining synthetic content in its styles with bio-based alternatives.
The brand has traced 100% of its merino wool to the source with 84.5% of its overall materials incorporating merino wool, with 11.64% being plant-based and the rest being synthetic (3.86%).
“Icebreaker’s main fibre is and always will be merino,” Ferre said. “Our key sustainability vision is to source all our merino fibres from growers using regenerative practices by 2028, which is a massive feat for the industry.”
Icebreaker uses other sourced fibres such as Tencel Lyocell, organic or BCI cotton, and linen to achieve different fabric benefits through blends.
“As mentioned above, where necessary (ie, no natural or plastic-free solution does the job) we look at using bio-based fibres, like partially bio-based elastane or fully bio-based nylon.”
Icebreaker has also secured and signed 10-year contracts with 70 of its growers. Ferre said most of these long-term contracted growers are based in the South Island of New Zealand.
“These long-term contracts are a unique model in the industry, in which we create long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships to support a better future for our growers, our planet and icebreaker,” Ferre said.
“These types of contracts have enabled our growers to invest in innovation in their farms, the pinnacle of it being the onboarding and adoption of regenerative practices through the ZQRX program.”