OUR SUSTAINABLE ETHOS

#UseTheExisting

#UseTheExisting is an all-encompassing mindset for Zegna. It starts with fabric and extends to clothing and beyond.

Envisioned by Zegna Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori and born with the Zegna Fall/Winter 2019 collection, #UseTheExisting is a key project that marks the brand’s commitment to make the dream of zero waste possible by increasing the use of wool and technical fabrics made from pre-existing and post-consumer sources. #UseTheExisting is a way of thinking: our guiding principle that encompasses all our efforts to upcycle the entire production process. The verticalized structure of the Zegna Group is a key factor driving this project towards.

Philosophy

Philosophy

Applying this philosophy to our textile division, Zegna Group aims to create not only new fabrics from existing ones, but also to create new fabrics from existing fibers and remnants to reduce the final waste down to zero. The result is luxurious and supple yet responsible fabrications, products that have an “archive” look and feel while maintaining the same high-end quality.
As a leading player in the luxury industry and in fabric manufacturing, we hope to trigger a movement throughout the sector. Our path leads to a future where we do not waste a single piece of material along the production chain. This is our mission, and we are fully investing in it.
“It is our duty as citizens of the world to live responsibly. I want to do that using the creative means I have at my disposal, which extend from the materiality to the fabric-making, to the exquisite technicality of tailoring. We can reuse and reinvent the existing, getting progressive fabrics out of discarded ones, translating traditional techniques into innovative processes. This is Zegna’s answer to responsibility, making the dream of zero waste possible.” - Zegna Artistic Director, Alessandro Sartori
Zegna’s commitment to this project, and our wider efforts to build responsible development within the luxury sector, has been widely acknowledged. It found public recognition with the CNMI Award in Recognition for Sustainability, received by Zegna at the 2019 Green Carpet Fashion Awards in Milan.

#UseTheExisting is an evolutionary commitment that actually permeates our collections.

At Zegna, a sustainable ethos has led us since our inception and social and environmental responsibility have been our roots for over a century. We marked our 110th anniversary in 2020. On that landmark year we renewed our sustainability pledge, partnering with Green Pea to create a new shop-in-shop at the world’s first Green Retail Park in Turin. Sharing our company’s conscious mindset, Green Pea’s mission sees nature and harmony meeting with a visionary environmental approach.
#UseTheExisting was also awarded the ADI Design Index 2020 Innovation Award in 2020. Further recognition came in the form of the Fashion Transparency Index 2020 report, created by Fashion Revolution to assess the transparency of fashion brands. The report put Zegna amongst the top three brands in 2020 for the year-on-year increase of our individual score and acknowledged us as the first luxury brand to publish a complete list of suppliers.

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