Closing the loop

Circularity is another major focus for the Prada Group. Each year the fashion industry produces more than 100 billion apparel items, which equates to roughly 14 for every person on Earth. And every day, tens of millions of garments are tossed out to make way for new ones. Globally, less than 1% of used clothing is remade into new garments, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a U.K. nonprofit.

“The principle of circularity, or circular thinking, is perfectly aligned with the Prada Group’s climate and biodiversity strategy,” states the Sustainability Report. “It is integrated throughout the group value chain, from the growing use of recycled and regenerated raw materials to the proper management of scrap materials that can be repurposed and reused in alternative supply chains.”

Examples within Prada Group include Eternal Gold, the first truly sustainable fine jewelry collection from a luxury brand, made of 100% certified recycled gold, and Prada Re-Nylon, which from 2021 uses only regenerated nylon obtained through the recycling and purification of plastic collected from oceans, as well as textile fiber waste.

For Bertelli, one of the most exciting initiatives is the Re.Crea Consortium, a project founded in 2022 by the Prada Group, Dolce & Gabbana, Max Mara Fashion Group, Moncler Group, OTB Group and the Ermenegildo Zegna Group for the management of end-of-life textile and fashion products, and to promote research and development of innovative recycling solutions. “It could be the biggest project to prove that the fashion industry can behave in a better way,” says Bertelli.

A percentage of the sales of Prada Re-Nylon is used to support another sustainability initiative, Sea Beyond. Promoted by the Prada Group and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Sea Beyond is an educational program that raises awareness of sustainability and ocean preservation. In September 2022, Sea Beyond received the Oceans Award at the Sustainable Fashion Awards 2022, organized by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) in collaboration with the United Nations Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI).

Prada Group Sustainability