Recycled wool – from leftover to new garment

reborn – the collection that gives quality wool a new life. Our reborn products are made from offcuts from the production at our own factory in Estonia, and the number of garments produced depends on how much offcut is available at any given time.

For the first production round, six tons of offcuts have been used to make 7000 wool shirts. The work on the shirt had its breakthrough in 2020, when Aclima for the first time managed to recycle wool fabrics intended for underwear, together with an Italian textile company with expertise in clothing recycling.

The Italian specialists open the cut-offs, recycle the wool fibers, and reinforce them with thirty percent recycled synthetic fiber to make the new yarn durable. The yarn is then woven into shirting fabric before being sewn into shirts at a partner factory in Estonia. The result is a robust shirt in warm, soft, and comfortable wool fabric, which naturally fits as part of a layered outfit when you're heading outdoors.

We do not dye the wool again for environmental reasons

Our strong commitment to the environment is evident in every detail of this collection. The synthetic fibers used to reinforce the recycled wool are made from recycled polyamide, the buttons are made from coconut shells instead of plastic, and the sewing threads are made of recycled polyester.

The good qualities of merino wool also mean that you don't have to wash the shirt often, as odors do not adhere to the fabric. To avoid unnecessary use of resources, the company has also made a conscious decision that none of the leftover wool will be re-dyed before it is used for new shirts.

To re-dye the wool is a task that requires a lot of resources in terms of energy, chemicals, and water. We have chosen not to do this because we are committed to contributing to the most gentle clothing production possible. Instead of re-dyeing, we sort the leftover wool by color before sending it for processing in Italy. This places high demands on the employees who sort the scraps at our factory in Estonia, but they have all become very enthusiastic about the project after seeing the unique garments they help create, says Aclima's sales director, Lars Eivind Johansen.

A plus for environmentally conscious customers

The decision not to re-dye the wool means that different batches of shirts may have slightly different shades, depending on the color of the leftover wool they are made from. Johansen believes that environmentally conscious customers will, however, see this only as a plus.

Many of our customers are very interested in knowing how the outdoor clothing they use is produced. I think many would appreciate a shirt with a unique story more than having all products look exactly the same, he says. The great pre-launch interest suggests that we are right, he says.

Have been working with the reuse of wool since 1939

Aclima's tradition of considering the reuse of wool dates all the way back to its inception in 1939. That's when Lars Eivind's grandfather, Eivind Johansen, began making insoles from the discarded wool felt from the conveyor belts of the timber industry in Drammen. Lars Eivind Johansen believes his grandfather would have been proud of the work that has been done with the reborn shirt.

- Aclima has always consisted of wool enthusiasts who love to explore new opportunities to use this amazing fabric. That's why it's incredibly fun to develop a new quality garment from wool scraps that would have otherwise gone to waste. We have the opportunity to create many more products from the new fabric if the amount of offcuts increases. I hope more clothing manufacturers will see their offcuts as a valuable resource and not trash in the future. Reborn is a prime example of how it's possible to turn leftover wool into gold, he says with a smile.