Calzedonia and partners launch “Re-Tights” project to recycle tights across Europe

Backed by the European Union, the Re-Tights industrial initiative—known as “ReFilés” in French—is on a mission to build the first circular value chain for tights in Europe. The project brings together leading players in fashion and logistics, including Italian legwear giant Golden Lady, hosiery and retail powerhouse Calzedonia, its manufacturing subsidiary Ytres, postal logistics expert Asendia, and textile recycler Union Industries.

The project uses chemical separation technology to recover polyamide fibers. Each machine developed for this purpose is capable of recycling up to 1.6 million pairs of tights per year. The system relies on the specific expertise of each project partner.

Used tights are collected in Calzedonia stores, with logistics managed by Asendia. Golden Lady, a manufacturer of yarn and tights, in collaboration with Union Industries, is responsible for separating and recycling used tights using a process designed to produce polyamide yarn of comparable quality to virgin yarn. Calzedonia, via its Ytres subsidiary, then handles the production of new tights, ranging from essentials to more creative styles.

“Through this collaboration, Re-Tights aims to create a reproducible and sustainable model that could be applied to other complex textile products,” say the project leaders, supported by the LIFE programme, the European Commission’s financial instrument dedicated to supporting innovative environmental and climate protection projects.

In 2024, the European market for stockings and tights is estimated to have reached 402 million pairs. This corresponds to approximately €5.5 billion in revenue for the last financial year.

On the French market, Calzedonia operates a network of around 230 outlets. The brand belongs to the Oniverse group, which also owns Intimissimi, Tezenis and Falconeri. In 2024, Oniverse saw its total sales increase by 13.5% compared with 2023, exceeding €3.5 billion.