Monki has introduced the Green Machine, a machine that, for the first time, can fully separate and recycle cotton and polyester blends at scale. Most of the clothes we wear today are made of blends of different fibres, and the most common one is cotton and polyester blends. The Green Machine uses a hydrothermal method to separate these blends – using a closed-loop of only water, heat and biodegradable green chemicals. The Green Machine is a result of a research collaboration between the non-profit H&M Foundation, HKRITA (The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel) and one of Monki’s key suppliers.

“As a fashion brand we need to do our part when it comes to closing the loop. With eyes wide open Monki will walk into this climate-decade and be part of the solution.” Says Jenny Fagerlin, Sustainability Director at Monki, “If we can prolong the life of our products for as long as possible and decrease usage of virgin sources, it’s a huge step in the right direction."

Monki has created the brand’s first collection using the Green Machine system. The online exclusive grey tracksuit set features the statement, respect your mother (nature), embroidered on the hoodie and trackpants. While this is a smaller scale production at the moment, the brand aims to roll out the process on a larger scale by autumn 2021.