LaMunt cares about how our garments are made: in addition to finding a balance between performance and aesthetics, we choose materials carefully, and are increasingly looking for ways to extend their lifetime, and ultimately make them “go around again” after their useful life.
Garments which are “Designed with Circularity in Mind” are conceived following the principles of Circular Design: with recycled and potentially recyclable materials, high standards on physical durability, and design made to last, and finally to enable them for disassembly for easy repairs or, ultimately, recycling.
- By using recycled fabrics we avoid using virgin resources;
- By choosing them of high quality, we aim for a longer lifespan;
- By making them mono-material, we reduce complexity and help to facilitate future recycling.
What is a Mono-Material fabric?
Mono-material fabrics are made with yarns that use a single type of fiber. All fabrics on this garment are made from a single material: 100% polyester.
That means:
- No mixed fibre blends (e.g. polyester/elastane, cotton/polyester).
- No bindings, or coating.
- Potentially easy sorting at recycling facilities.
Why it matters: blended materials are hard to recycle efficiently. The use of mono-material fabrics increases the potential for the materials to be recycled — especially as textile-to-textile recycling technologies continue to grow.
Why “designed with circularity in mind” and not just “circular”, “recycled” or “recyclable”?
Circularity is not only about using recycled materials. Nor is it just making them recyclable. Circularity is an overall concept that covers the entire life of materials and aims to extend it as much as possible. It begins with the choice of recycled and recyclable materials, aims at keeping them at their highest value and use for the longest possible; and at the end of their useful life, so that they can be recycled, so they then become raw materials again. These items were designed with:
- Recycled materials that come from used textiles, made with one single fibre type, and potentially recyclable with currently available technologies.
- High-quality fabrics and constructions, care guidance, and an offer of repair services in case they are damaged.
- Clearly marked for you and potential recyclers to ease end of life management and recycling.
However, even though our product is technically recyclable, effective recycling depends on the availability of:
- Local textile collection facilities
- Their collaboration with textile recyclers
- Consumer action, by correctly disposing of the items at their end of life
LaMunt items are sold around the world, and while we have done our utmost to make items easily recyclable, we cannot directly guarantee that textile recycling facilities are available in every country. In fact, the infrastructure for textile recycling is still developing, and in many countries it is very limited, or has even yet to start. However, we are expecting it to be the norm in the coming years, and want LaMunt items to be ready. That’s why we say “designed for” - not “fully circular” or “guaranteed recyclable.”
What can you do to responsibly dispose of this product at its end of life?
First, check again at LaMunt.com if it just needs proper care or can be repaired, by yourself using one of our patches, or with our experts.
If you think the item is no longer usable, please do not throw it in the rubbish.
We do not have our own take-back and recycling system. Public textile collection is limited but already available in some countries, and due to expand across the EU in the coming years, thanks to upcoming legislation (the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, the regime on Extended Producer Responsibility) and the growing landscape of collaboration and recycling initiatives.
Europewide, the trend is to extend reuse and delay recycling as much as possible, and because most municipalities are just starting, they partner with charities who have already established networks for selection and re-selling of the items.
In some countries, there is a partnership between municipalities and charities, and the latter are in charge of managing the end of life of textiles of the municipality.
In other countries, where this is not the case:
- Charity collection is intended for reuse. It takes place through street collection in containers which belong to the charity and are clearly identifiable as such, and also through associations, cooperatives, and parishes.
- Municipal collection is intended for reuse and textile waste.
So what to do?
Check with your municipality to see whether charity and recycling collections are unified or separate, and the designated bins or places.
Then, examine your item again and decide where to take it to.
Bear in mind that:
- For charity collection: Maybe you cannot use the item, but Charities might be able to find someone else who can. Garments that come in pairs, such as socks, should be in pairs and bundled together.
- If, on the other hand, you want to dispose of textile waste: Not all types of fabric can be collected for recycling. In general, most natural fibres – cotton, linen, wool and so on – are accepted, while for synthetics there might be special rules. It might be that your local authority does not provide street collection for this type of waste, and items must be taken to recycling centres.
Please follow the regulations of your local council.
Here is a quick guide of local information we have been able to gather:
FOR CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN ITALY:
Italy introduced mandatory textile collection in all municipalities from January 2022, and local systems are being developed.
www.minambiente.it or https://www.mase.gov.it/portale/web/guest/recycling-and-waste-management
How to recycle: you can drop clean reusable clothing and textiles into municipal collection points or donation bins managed by local authorities or charity networks.
Humana has street collection accross the country and agreements with municipalities and companies: https://raccoltavestiti.humanaitalia.org/. They offer a “bin locator”.
In Milano, check: https://www.cittametropolitana.mi.it/newsletter/news/Raccolta-differenziata-dei-rifiuti-tessili-istruzioni-per-luso/ or https://www.amsa.it/it/milano
Rome has clear guidelines and elaborated a map to locate the containers for collection of textiles: https://www.romatoday.it/guida/casa/cassonetti-gialli-indumenti-usati-mappa.html
In Bolzano, street collection of textiles is at the moment only available for charities, intended for reuse. Municipal collection is not active, you should take your apparel to the recycling centre on Via Mitterhofer, 8. https://www.seab.bz.it/it/privati/indumenti-usati
FOR CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN GERMANY:
Germany is preparing for mandatory textile collection by 2025, with advanced sorting technologies already in place through partners like SOEX and I:CO.
www.kreislaufwirtschaft-deutschland.de
How to recycle: If your clothes or shoes are clean and wearable, donate them to charity collection containers (e.g. Deutsches Rotes Kreuz / Deutsche Kleiderstiftung). Unusable textiles should go to local recycling centres (Wertstoffhöfe) or specialized collectors.
FOR CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN AUSTRIA:
Austria collects about 20% of its textile waste separately and is scaling infrastructure to meet upcoming EU obligations.
How to recycle: Most municipalities partner with charities - drop off clean, wearable clothing and textiles in local donation bins or designated waste collection points. Unusable items are sorted for recycling or export.
FOR CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN SWITZERLAND:
Switzerland operates one of the most established textile collection systems via Texaid, collecting over 35,000 tonnes annually.
www.texaid.ch or https://swissrecycle.ch/de/wertstoffe-wissen/wertstoffe/textilien
How to recycle: Use public clothing containers operated by Texaid or drop-off points at municipal recycling centres—clean apparel and shoes are accepted; dirty or damaged items may be excluded.
https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/en/home/topics/waste/guide-to-waste-a-z/clothing-and-shoes.html or https://caritas-regio.ch/aktiv-werden/spenden/waren-spenden?
FOR CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN FRANCE:
Please check your national guidelines on textile sorting and recycling.
FOR CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN POLAND:
Poland is a major hub for used textile imports and sorting, though domestic collection rates remain relatively low.
How to recycle: From January 2025, textile waste must be separated — not put in mixed bins. Bring used clothing, shoes, bedding, etc. to municipal recycling stations (PSZOK) or Eco Textile/Round Cross containers.
You can also bring your LaMunt products labeled “designed with circularity in mind” to our LaMunt store in Munich or to any Mountain Shops that carry the LaMunt brand. We will dispose of them adequately.
You can find the list of Mountain Shops here: https://www.mountain-shop.com/en