Frumat‘s Apple Skin is a bio-based leather alternative created from the apple industry food waste. Mabel & Frumat developed this to answer both the local apple-waste issue and the growing demand for eco-friendly leather alternatives. With the help of Mabel & Frumat’s technology, we were able to create a range of sneakers made out of apple waste in 2021.

The circular design model promotes reducing waste, reusing materials, and designing products to be recycled at the end of life to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. With these principles in mind, the denim collection Adapt was created and launched in April 2023, using 100% recycled materials, only one fiber, and with multi-purpose functionality. Both pre- och post-consumer waste was collected to be broken down into new fibers. The pre-consumer waste coming from the cutting waste from the manufacturing process, and the post-consumer waste coming from cotton that has been manufactured, sold, and handed in for recycling by consumers. The multi-purpose design of the garments is made with the longevity principle, making the garments easy to wear for a long time, over seasons and for different occasions and purposes. The use of only one fiber; cotton, makes the garments, in the end, easier to recycle.

Made from responsibly sourced pine and eucalyptus, in a closed loop with low impact on the environment, Naia™ is a more sustainable option to polyester, nylon and viscose. Using wood pulp from sustainably managed forests and plantations, the process ensures that no protected forests are deforested. Naia™ is also certified biodegradable and compostable - making it easy for nature to break down. This technique has been tested and implemented in NA-KDs overall production. Products like skirts and satin tops have been manufactured with the Naia™ technique.

Our Denim collection - using natural clay-based dyes is more sustainable than the chemical processing of regular denim – using 70% less water and 35% less electricity. Plus, 100% of the waste water goes back to agriculture. Each item from the collection is made from at least 95% organic cotton and because the colours come from nature, they're skin-friendly without any harsh chemicals.

Every year, over 22 million tons of plastics end up in the ocean. Zouri shoes decided to see this waste as a resource and do something about it. In 2021, we joined hands with Zouri and released a collection of shoes that were vegan, organic and with soles made from recycled ocean plastics. So far, Zouri has collected over 1000 kilos of trash from Portuguese beaches.

This collection of denim, shirts, tops and tote bags was made from scraps of organic cotton from our other productions. Instead of producing brand new fabrics for these product, we’ve upcycled the fabric waste from producing our other garments.

This is a high quality 100% post-consumer recycled polyester yarn containing approximately 10% upcycled marine plastic from SEAQUAL INITIATIVE and 90% recycled PET plastics. Recycled polyester stops plastic waste like PET bottles and fishing nets from littering our beaches, oceans and landfills. SEAQUAL® has previously been used in a collection of swimwear. Stay posted for more SEAQUAL® drops coming up!

Bio-based Sorona® polymer is made from 37% plant-based ingredients and has been used as insulation in a collection of jackets. Sorona® polymer is made, in part, with annually renewable plant-based ingredients. Compared to nylon 6, the manufacturing of Sorona® polymer requires 30% less energy and results in 50% less greenhouse gas emissions. Whether a textile is made of 100% Sorona® polymer or is combined with other fibers, the end results are long-lasting performance and softness. Sorona® Aura insulation provides the same level of thermal resistance as premium branded polyester insulation in less filling by weight. Sorona® Aura insulation has a fill power of at least 24% more than premium branded polyester insulation, providing a lighter, warmer garment with less filling. In our jackets, we combined the padding with 50% Sorona®️ Aura insulation and 50% recycled down.

Vegetable-dye from UTG (United Textile Group A/S) has been used in the production process of our jersey. In this dying process, only waste from fruit and vegetable crops are used. Lemon, pomegranate, rose petals, lavender and walnut shells give colour to jersey. The process requires 25% less water than conventional dyeing processes and creates an anti-allergenic garment.

The circular design model promotes reducing waste, reusing materials, and designing products to be recycled at the end of life to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. With these principles in mind, the denim collection Adapt was created and launched in April 2023, using 100% recycled materials, only one fiber, and with multi-purpose functionality. Both pre- och post-consumer waste was collected to be broken down into new fibers. The pre-consumer waste coming from the cutting waste from the manufacturing process, and the post-consumer waste coming from cotton that has been manufactured, sold, and handed in for recycling by consumers. The multi-purpose design of the garments is made with the longevity principle, making the garments easy to wear for a long time, over seasons and for different occasions and purposes. The use of only one fiber; cotton, makes the garments, in the end, easier to recycle.

My role as a Climate Actions Manager is to find ways to reduce our emissions in our own operations as well as through the whole value chain to meet our reduction targets. Working together with the purchasing and design teams is of course important to ensure that they have the right tools, knowledge, and ability to make the right choices in their different areas.

You could say, in a sense, that the purpose of the NA-KD Future platform is to find the bridge between innovative new materials, processes, and products and how these can be scaled up for the rest of the departments, as a way for the company to become more sustainable as a whole.

We wanted to make things that feel cool and on-trend of course, but we also want to think of the bigger picture and make something from new technologies which you can keep for a longer time. We don’t just want to make another white t-shirt that’s made from more eco cotton, we want to push it. Sometimes we struggle to achieve that - but then we have to ask ourselves, what went wrong? What can we do better? We always need to be transparent and find new ways.

We really want to find a way of doing sequins in a better way, as the sequin easily can end up as microplastics which is very harmful for our planet. We are also investigating different ideas on how to find a better alternative to leather and PU.