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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Fashion’s Plastic Addiction Is Harder to Shake Than it Seems

Big brands from Adidas to Patagonia are on track to eliminate virgin polyester from their products. But the pivot to materials mostly made from recycled plastic bottles is an imperfect solution.
An Adidas shoe surrounded by a circle of plastic bottles and fishing nets. In the right hand corner is a stamp saying 'End Plastic Waste.'
Adidas is on track to eliminate virgin polyester by 2024. But almost all the recycled polyester on the market at the moment comes from plastic bottles. (Adidas)

Last year, 91 percent of the polyester used in Adidas’ sportswear was recycled. By 2024, the outerwear brand is aiming to have

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