Athletic apparel company lululemon athletica announced the launch a limited edition Packable Anorak jacket, its first ever product to be produced using enzymatically recycled polyester, as well as from captured carbon, in what the company described as a “key milestone” in textile recycling and its work to create a circular ecosystem.

Polyester is Lululemon’s largest procured material by weight, at slightly over a third of the total materials used in its products, followed closely by Nylon. The company has set a series of sustainable materials goals, including sourcing at least 75% recycled polyester by 2025, and making 100% of its products with preferred materials, or those with improved environmental or social sustainability outcomes and impacts compared to conventional production, and end-to-end solutions to advance a circular ecosystem by 2030.

The polyester in the new jacket is made from a combination of bioprocessing technologies, including enzyme-based recycling from a combination of bioprocessing technologies, including enzyme-based recycling from Samsara Eco, as well as from captured carbon from Illinois-based carbon capture and transformation company LanzaTech.

Yogendra Dandapure, Vice President, Raw Materials Innovation at lululemon, said:

“Our vision is to scale these technologies to address textile waste across our entire supply chain. This capsule product is a first step along this journey, helping us test and learn as we continue to advance circularity, which signals exciting possibilities for all industries looking to shift to more circular models.”

Launched in 2021, Samsara Eco uses enzymatic technology to recycle plastic, using enzymes to turn complex plastics back into their original chemical building blocks, enabling their re-use to produce new virgin-grade plastics without relying on fossil fuels.

The new product launch follows an announcement in February by lululemon and Samsara of the first-ever product using enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6, one of the most commonly used plastics in the textile industry.

Paul Riley, CEO and Founder of Samsara Eco, said:

“Putting an end to fashion waste is critical to addressing the climate crisis. Our enzymatic recycling technology addresses the issue by putting waste to work, extracting fibres from old textiles and repurposing them for a next life. We’re proud to be working with lululemon to create change and disrupt the linear economy of plastic.”

Founded in 2005, LanzaTech’s biology-based platform converts captured carbon into raw material commodities, that would otherwise be produced from virgin fossil resources. LanzaJet’s technology has converted steel mill emissions into products including sustainable aviation fuel, clothing ranges, laundry detergent, household cleaner and fine fragrances. Lululemon and LanzaTech launched a partnership in 2021 aimed at creating the first-ever yarn and polyester fabric using recycled carbon emissions.