Elis' workwear recycling programme

Making Textiles from Textiles: A True Industrial Challenge

For years, across all our regions, our teams have been exploring ways to reuse and recycle our professional garments: insulation material, artificial cellulose...

Today, the Group is going even further by recycling its used workwear into new garments.

Our recycling programme has required many years of development to be able to offer an ever more virtuous life cycle to our products and close the loop.

Find out about our sustainable approach

Did you know?

Workwear can be made up of more than 10 materials and accessories that cannot be recycled (for example, reflective strips, zips, snap fasteners) and is more sophisticated in its construction with features such as elasticated trouser waists, making reuse and recycling more complex. A real challenge for the textile industry.

Our garment recycling process

In order to achieve this result, a chain of several partners is necessary. Indeed, numerous steps are involved in producing a new fabric of satisfactory quality to make new, hard-wearing clothing for the workplace. Elis currently uses only know-how and skills of French players to produce the fabric.

In France, the first items designed and woven from recycled Elis workwear yarns have been made. This collection is made of 100% recycled material, of which 60% is from Elis end-of-life textiles.

Every stage of the garment making process is optimised to ensure that all the fabric is used without any lost. Elis is the only player in the market to offer such an innovation. The result: a significant reduction in carbon footprint compared to a standard garment.

textile recycling process

Our rewards

The Elis recycling programme continues to be recognized as an innovative programme that is fully aligned with the circular economy.

  • In 2022, it won the Espoir Trophy at the 2022 European Circular Fashion Awards in the Large Company category. It was selected from among 15 finalists out of more than 200 applications received.
  • The project was recognized once again in 2023, winning the Audace award at the Cégos Les Mines competition and the Gold trophy in the “Circular economy, reuse: best strategy” category at the Sustainable Transformation Summit.
  • In 2024, Elis won the Circular Alliances Trophy in the ‘Collaboration between Large Groups / Mid-sized Companies / SMEs’ category and took the silver medal in the ‘Innovative Service Provider’ category, during the 8th Nuit de la RSE (CSR Night) organised by Républik
  • Trophée européen mode circulaire
  • Prix RSE DD Cegos-Mines
  • Prix Transformation énergétique et environnementale
  • Trophée des Alliances circulaires
  • Trophée de la nuit de la RSE
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Elis also tries to limit the distances and transport involved in the workwear recycling process as much as possible in order to pursue a sustainable development approach.

These actions align with our targets for 2025 based on our CSR (corporate social responsibility) strategy.

Our targets for 2025

  • 80%

    reuse or recycling of the Group's end-of-life textiles

  • 1 collection

    At least 1 collection in each product range manufactured using sustainable materials

To know more about our sustainable approach

Notre politique RSE 

Notre rapport RSE