Circular spring fashion: bonprix presents its third Circular Collection and supports sustainable change in the textile industry with collaborations

With the launch of the third Circular Collection in April, the international fashion brand bonprix is once again demonstrating its commitment to sustainable and future-proof fashion. The new collection is characterised by new materials, more styles and a focus on current trends. However, it is not only the circular product design for its own fashion that is an integral part ofbonprix's‘positive choice’corporate responsibility strategy. In order to promote circularity within the entire industry, the fashion company is involved in international collaborations with other organisations and companies. New additions to the portfolio include the ‘Sorting for Circularity’ project of the Fashion for Good initiative, which tests innovative sorting technologies using artificial intelligence, and the ‘Implementing Circularity in the Textile Industry’ project, which aims to make circular garments easier to sort for customers and sorting companies, among other things.

For the current, third Circular Collection, bonprix has significantly expanded the selection of recyclable products and presents over 30 spring styles for women, men and children, which are available in several countries. As with the two previous collections, the Circular Design Criteria of the Berlin-based partner company circular.fashion were applied, which are based on the three principles for circular products - materials made from safe*, renewable and/or recycled raw materials, recyclability and durability - and consider the entire life cycle of a product.

In addition to the circular design, this collection is characterised by a very high level of fashion. To achieve this, the trained product managers have closely orientated themselves on the design ideas of the bonprix trend experts. By integrating current fashion trends, bonprix is not only focussing on responsible consumption in the new collection, but also on fashion relevance and versatility that inspires and awakens a desire for fashion.

‘With our current, third Circular Collection, we as a company are taking another important step towards a circular future. We are constantly training more and more product managers and are gradually increasing the number of circular styles that are made from healthy materials, are recyclable and durable, and feature ultra-modern cuts and details. In this way, we are skilfully combining sustainability and trends and increasing the attractiveness of our sustainable range for our customers,’ explains Carolin Klar, Managing Director Product, Sourcing & Corporate Responsibility at bonprix.

The collection

The collection items are based on current fashion themes and come in a fresh colour palette to match spring, ranging from olive green and latte macchiato to candy pink and blood orange. The focus is on feminine, casual and durable styles with special utility details such as large pockets on wide trousers or skirts. In addition to organic cotton and organic cotton in conversion**, the third Circular Collection also uses more sustainable viscose and lyocell. The materials not only impress with their flowing and silky feel, but also score points for their environmentally friendly production. The viscose and lyocell fibres used are obtained from sustainably managed forests and the production processes are designed to minimise water consumption and emissions.

The highlights of the collection are an olive green jumpsuit with a cargo look made from 100 per cent lyocell from sustainable forestry and a lightweight twill jacket made from 97 per cent organic cotton and 3 per cent elastane in the colours olive green, black and latte macchiato. The range also includes various shirts and shirts, cargo trousers and jersey dresses, a cargo skirt, robust jogging trousers with patch pockets for children and a scarf.

As with the two previous collections, the new styles are also labelled with bonprix's own ‘Circular Collection designed to be recycled’ label. It is intended to inform customers visually and textually about the recyclability of the products and thus contribute to a growing awareness of circular design. The next circular collection is planned for autumn 2024.

Cooperation projects for sustainable change

In order to shape sustainable change in the fashion world, it is not only important to focus on your own products and processes, but also to look at the textile industry and engage with stakeholders and competitors. ‘The future of the fashion industry clearly lies in the circular economy. This approach aims to take into account the entire life cycle of garments - from production to use to disposal,’ says Stefanie Sumfleth, Vice President Corporate Responsibility & Technical Product at bonprix. ‘Collaborations within the textile industry are essential in order to develop and establish strategies and infrastructures for circular business models. We are delighted that we are now involved as a cooperation partner in two new projects that are advancing precisely this goal.’

In the 18-month ‘Sorting for Circularity’ project of the Fashion for Good initiative, innovative sorting technologies that work with artificial intelligence and machine learning are being tested. The aim is to optimise the sorting of reusable garments and make them more recyclable so that they remain in use and do not end up in landfills or in the global waste system. bonprix is supporting the project with its own experience and with market research data from regular customer surveys and the Fashion Report, for which women in Germany and other European countries were surveyed about fashion last year.

With the further project ‘Implementing Circularity in the Textile Industry’, bonprix, together with other members of the ‘Partnership for Sustainable Textiles’, is setting an example for the development of recyclable textile products and the integration of circular processes into supply chains. The aim of the project is to pilot the closing of the loop in the textile industry as a blueprint. Together with circular.fashion, German fashion companies and their suppliers are developing their own capsule collections according to strict sustainability and circularity criteria. The next step will be to integrate a Digital Product Passport (DPP), which will ensure access to product data and traceability for customers, sorting companies and recyclers. The project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of the Textiles Partnership and is being implemented together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and other members of the Textiles Partnership.

*Design using materials that demonstrate improved ecological and/or social sustainability and take into account the health of people and ecosystems.

**Organic cotton in the conversion process is already grown according to organic standards, but is not yet certified. The conversion process takes up to three years, as soils need this time to regenerate from previously used chemicals. The use of cotton in conversion supports farmers and promotes the establishment of organic cotton. See also: https://global-standard.org/de/der-standard/schluesselkriterien/bio-fasern