Chapter 3 — full chapter
3.3.1 Case Example — Napapijri Circular Series: Simplifying a Complex Product
Outdoor jackets are technically demanding products. They may combine an outer fabric, lining, insulation, zips, elastic components, labels, trims, and functional finishes. These elements support warmth, weather protection, and performance but can also make the garment difficult to disassemble and recycle.
Napapijri’s Circular Series explored how this complexity could be reorganised around a defined material pathway. The main fabric was made from ECONYL® regenerated Nylon 6, while the filling and trims were also developed using Nylon 6. By keeping the principal components within the same polymer family, the company aimed to enable the complete garment to enter a compatible recycling process without the extensive separation normally required for a multi-material jacket.
The product was connected to a registration and return programme. Each garment included a unique code through which the purchaser could register it and later access the recycling pathway. This shows that material simplification alone is insufficient: product identification, customer information, reverse logistics, and access to a recycler are also part of the design system.
The case demonstrates that product complexity should be assessed in relation to the intended circular pathway. The jacket retained the functional and visual characteristics expected from outdoor clothing while simplifying its material architecture for recycling. However, its circular outcome still depends on garments being registered, retained for an appropriate period, returned and processed as intended. Evidence about return volumes, recovery yields, and the use of the resulting material would therefore be necessary to evaluate the system at scale.
Reflection prompt:
What was simplified to support recycling, and which forms of operational evidence would be needed to determine whether the return and recycling system works at scale?
Source: Napapijri — Circular Series
Figure X. Napapijri Circular Series jacket. The outer fabric, insulation and trims were designed using Nylon 6 to simplify the garment’s material architecture and support a defined take-back and recycling pathway. Source: Napapijri, Circular Series.