The partnership between Decathlon Pulse and Unspun includes investment and a multi-year offtake agreement extending through 2030, aimed at scaling Unspun’s technology across multiple European brands.
Unspun’s Vega technology weaves semi-finished products directly from yarn, offering an innovative solution to reduce waste and inventory in the apparel industry and the company aims to deploy Vega machines to pioneer local, low-waste, and low-inventory production in the region.
This collaboration is said to mark a milestone in the fashion industry's shift towards sustainability, as it supports localised, low-waste production that addresses key environmental challenges such as carbon emissions and unsold inventory waste.
Walden Lam, CEO and co-founder of Unspun emphasised the sustainability goals of the partnership, stating: “Collectively, we are contributing to carbon neutrality objectives on millions of garments in a bid to help the fashion industry reduce waste from the supply chain. Our Vega technology is a key step on this journey to bring fast, low-impact, circular, and cost-effective production in low operating volumes to Europe."
With the EU’s upcoming Waste Framework Directive regulations, Unspun said its technology offers brands better inventory management and a solution to overproduction.
The company said its collaboration with Decathlon Pulse will help the fashion industry tackle the growing global waste problem, projected to rise by 70% by 2050.
Franck Vigo, CEO of Decathlon Pulse commented: “This partnership will enable Decathlon to reduce waste within the manufacturing process and strengthen our commitment to sustainability. By leveraging the potential of 3D weaving, we are working to revolutionise the garment manufacturing process and offer consumers customised, recyclable, and locally-produced products."
Unspun has been recognised for its innovation in sustainable fashion, having appeared on prestigious lists such as Time magazine’s "America’s Top Greentech Companies 2024" and Newsweek’s "Climate Change Innovators."