Gap Inc. has partnered with Ambercycle to leverage recycled textiles in products for its Athleta brand beginning in 2026.
Ambercycle uses proprietary molecular regeneration technology to turn discarded polyester into Cycora. This is a high-performance material designed to reproduce the quality of virgin-grade polyester while reducing industry greenhouse gas emissions and the need to landfill or incinerate end-of-life textiles. Athleta, which is a Certified B Corporation, will be the first performance apparel brand to use Cycora at scale.
“Gap Inc. is committed to evolving our supply chain and product development process in ways that help us deliver innovative products for our customers while reducing our environmental footprint,” said Dan Fibiger, Head of Global Sustainability at Gap Inc. in a statement. “Ambercycle’s groundbreaking technology for transforming end-of-life textiles into new materials not only enables a more sustainable supply of high-performance fabrics, but it has the potential to cut waste and emissions and advance circularity at scale.”
In the U.S. alone, up to 85% of all textiles end up in landfills every year. Many fashion companies are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact in this regard with recycled textiles, including Perry Ellis, which released a line of “Eco Denim” made from recycled textiles, and Coach with its Coachtopia brand, which is dedicated to creating products made from recycled or repurposed materials. A number of other major retailers, including H&M, Inditex, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren are part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular initiative, which includes the Jeans Redesign project, aimed at creating denim products more aligned with the concepts of a circular economy.
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