Everlane has launched a collection of sweaters made from repurposed cashmere, a move the US clothing brand claims halves the carbon footprint in comparison to traditional garments.
Everlane teamed up with Millefili mill in Prato, Italy, which specialises in up-cycling cashmere wool and other clothing materials, to make the ReCashmere sweaters with a blend of recycled cashmere and virgin wool.

The mill collects worn sweaters through a recycling programme, and sorts and chooses colours that can be combed into new yarns to "give cashmere a second life".
The selected yarns are then blended with extra-fine, virgin merino wool to create the garments. The merino portion is added to give the textile strength and durability, according to the company.
The mill also conducted a life-cycle assessment of ReCashmere to measure the environmental impact of a product's life ? from manufacturing to repairs and recycling.
It found that recycled cashmere sweater has "a 50 per cent smaller carbon footprint than traditional cashmere".
Following Everlane's releases like Tread sneakers, which it claims are the "world's most sustainable sneakers", and its plans to stop using virgin plastic by 2021, the brand developed its ReCashmere in a bid to find a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to produce cashmere wears.

Cashmere is produced from goats' hair, while merino is made from sheep's wool. Cashmere has a much larger environmental impact because it typ...