Ralph Lauren Launches Cashmere Recycling Program — Retail Bum

Ralph Lauren has teamed up with textile production company, Re-Verso, to launch a cashmere recycling program for customers in North America and Europe.

The program allows customers to ship 100% of their cashmere items from any brand to Re-Verso in Prato, Italy, where the company turns pre-used clothing into fabrics and yarns that are used by brands such as Stella McCartney, Eileen Fisher and Patagonia.

In addition to launching the recycling program, Ralph Lauren also recently began selling a Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certified Gold Cashmere Sweater, the first in a set of five Ralph Lauren products that will be C2C certified by 2025. The $995 sweater, which is set to replace the original icon sweater, is certified by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, which offers certification to safe, circular products that have been made responsibly.

“To meet C2C gold level standards for the new cashmere sweater, there was a requirement in place that meant a program had to be in place that would enable the recycling of that product,” said Devon Leahy, the corporate head of sustainability at Ralph Lauren.

Ralph Lauren noted that C2C products would soon account for 20% of its overall cashmere sales, which have increased by approximately 30% since the pandemic began.