Launched on 12 February 2026, Stretching Circularity will undertake pilot-scale testing and produce demonstrator garments to validate both bio-based and recycled elastane options.
Elastane is present in about 80% of apparel, with proportions typically ranging from 1–5% by weight in cotton or wool items, and up to 20% in polyester or polyamide products.
Its use provides stretch and comfort but presents two main challenges. The material increases carbon emissions and uses non-renewable resources, while also impeding fibre-to-fibre recycling by serving as a contaminant in recycling feedstocks.
This contamination limits the potential for circularity because even small amounts of elastane can disrupt recycling processes, often resulting in downcycling or waste.
To address these issues, Stretching Circularity has set out two main workstreams. One will concentrate on testing newer elastane materials produced from alternative sources such as bio-based inputs, including the development of two types of t-shirts, a technical version containing 10% elastane and a non-technical version with 2%.
The other workstream will focus on assessing regenerated elastane made through recent recycling methods.
Both strategies will follow pilot-scale validation protocols to collect comparable data on performance, environmental impact, economic viability, and scalability.
Fashion for Good managing director Katrin Ley said: “Lower-impact elastane solutions exist, but they lack the pilot-scale validation brands need to scale them confidently. This initiative seeks to provide that missing data, turning a well-known recycling ‘contaminant’ into a functional component of a circular supply chain.”
The project brings together several stakeholders from across the fashion industry value chain. Partners include Levi Strauss & Co (Beyond Yoga), On, Paradise Textiles, Positive Materials, and Reformation, with Ralph Lauren Corporation acting as an adviser.
In addition, organisations such as Materiom and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation are providing ecosystem expertise to support knowledge exchange and risk assessment related to scaling these solutions.
Stretching Circularity uses a structured due diligence and validation framework to determine whether alternative materials are both conceptually viable and able to meet the performance standards of traditional elastane.
Reformation sustainability senior director Carrie Freiman Parry said: “Stretching Circularity is about tackling that problem at the root and proving that lower-impact stretch materials and new recycling pathways can meet real performance and design standards.”
