Positive change doesn’t always have to come from the whole cloth. Sometimes, it can come from scraps.
Such is the case in Walmart’s newest sustainability outing: Partnering with UNIFI, we’ve launched the first commercial product comprised of REPREVE Takeback recycled polyester. Under Joyspun, our private brand intimates line, we’re offering customers a more sustainable sock. And it’s cute, too – ankle cut and lightly frilly.
So, how does all this actually work?
REPREVE Takeback is a recycled textile, designed to reduce waste generated in the production of other garments. But it doesn’t stop there: Other consumer products, like water bottles and varied plastics, can help form the resin that’s spun into a new fabric.
Debasis Manna is on Walmart’s private brand fashion team, where he focuses on regeneration, product development and raw materials. He says the textiles industry can benefit hugely from regenerative approaches like this one.
“When you’re producing a traditional garment, there’s a lot of waste made. Those leftover pieces of a garment usually end up on the cutting room floor. But not in our case,” Debasis said. “Polyester-rich fabric is given new life through UNIFI’s proprietary thermo-mechanical recycling process and combined with clean chopped post-consumer bottle waste to create yarn – and that’s what goes into your socks. It’s a recycled version of polyester utilizing at least 50% textile waste from the garment industry made new again.”
And there’s a substantial amount of that waste generated: The average American throws away more than 80 pounds of clothes every year, according to Earth.org. And it might sound complex, but The Textile Takeback program is fulfilling the core promise of recycling, creating a more circular economy in the process.
“When you think about clothing, one of the biggest challenges we have today is, ‘When you’re done wearing it, where does it go?’” said Scott Bingham, a director in private brand sustainability for Walmart. “We’re creating a more circular system where, instead of landfills, we take textiles we no longer need and turn them back into products we can use.”
It’s not just the fabric we throw away that finds its way to landfills – it’s also the fabric cast aside in creating new garments. Ninety-two million tons of textile waste ends up in landfills every year, according to UNIFI. And over 15% of fabric in clothing production ends up on the cutting room floor.
“At UNIFI®, we are constantly looking for new ways to reshape how products are made with real, scalable solutions that reduce textile waste. Our partnership with Walmart to launch Joyspun socks made with REPREVE Takeback™ is a powerful step forward in making circularity a reality for everyday consumers,” said Eddie Ingle, the CEO of UNIFI. “Together, we’re demonstrating that circular design isn’t just an aspiration, it’s a practical path forward at scale. This collaboration moves us closer to a future where products are intentionally made to be remade, and waste is redefined as a valuable resource.”
Debasis said that, like so many things at Walmart, introducing more circular garments is a team effort. It requires commitment and cooperation around the business, from fashion to sourcing and merchant teams. Everyone must come the table willing to drive change.
“You’re asking a merchant to take a leap of faith,” Debasis said. “Because they can’t know how customers will react to a totally new fabric! We wanted to pick a product where we could bring sustainability – without impacting quality or cost.”
Early data shows the choice has been a success. In its first week, the Joyspun Textile Takeback sock is the second-highest selling style in the Joyspun P6 dress sock assortment.
In producing a more circular, sustainable sock that also sells, Walmart is proving price, quality and convenience don’t have to come at a greater cost to the Earth. If you can do it all, why wouldn’t you?
