Textile powerhouses Target and Gap join forces with cleantech startup Syre to amplify the use of circular materials in clothing production, aiming for a more sustainable future.
Gap, Houdini Sportswear, and Target Partner with Circular Economy Startup Syre
Syre, a circular economy startup launched by H&M Group and impact-focused Vargas in March 2024, has established strategic partnerships with Gap Inc., Houdini Sportswear, and Target as launch partners. These partnerships aim to accelerate the decarbonization and dewaste of the textile industry through the production and use of circular polyester.
Key details of the partnerships:
- Gap Inc. aims to utilize 10,000 metric tons of Syre’s recycled polyester chips annually, integrating them across its brands including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta. This demonstrates Gap’s commitment to sustainable material use in its portfolio.
- Houdini Sportswear, a Swedish technical outdoor brand focused on circular innovation, has committed to sourcing 50% of their polyester usage from Syre’s circular polyester over the next three years, working toward a fully circular and waste-free ecosystem by 2030. Houdini plans to shift its primary polyester source to textile-to-textile recycled fibers.
- Target is partnering with Syre to incorporate circular polyester into some of its owned brand products, aligned with its goal of having 100% of owned brand products designed for a circular future by 2040.
Syre's first "blueprint" plant is under construction in North Carolina and will start operations by 2026, producing up to 10,000 metric tons of circular polyester annually to support these partnerships and broader market adoption. This plant marks a significant step in scaling textile-to-textile recycling and filling the forecasted 10-12 million ton annual supply-demand gap for circular polyester by 2030 identified in Syre and McKinsey research.
The partnerships contribute to worldwide efforts to transform an industry which is considered one of the largest contributors of global waste and carbon emissions. Syre aims to reduce the environmental footprint of polyester production by replacing virgin fossil fuel-based inputs with recycled fibers sourced from post-consumer textiles.
Syre's CEO, Dennis Nobelius, stated that the partnerships with Gap, Houdini Sportswear, and Target will help redefine the industry and drive the urgent shift towards true circularity. The raised capital was used for the construction of a new blueprint plant in the U.S. and the establishment of its first gigascale textile-to-textile recycling plants.
These partnerships represent different segments and sizes of the apparel sector, demonstrating a collective commitment to sustainable practices in the industry. Gap's Vice President of Global Sustainability, Dan Fibiger, stated that this partnership will accelerate Gap’s progress towards a more circular fashion industry. The partnerships resonate with customers and are an important lever for Gap Inc. in efforts to bridge the climate gap.
Target has pledged that all owned brand products will be designed for a circular future by 2040 and is incorporating Syre’s recycled polyester into selected lines. Houdini Sportswear has also committed to sourcing 50% of its polyester from Syre over a three-year period, while Gap aims to utilize 10,000 metric tons per year of Syre's recycled polyester, which Fibiger believes will be an important step in reducing carbon emissions and waste in the textile industry.
[1] Syre Press Release: Syre Announces Strategic Partnerships with Gap Inc., Houdini Sportswear, and Target (2025) [2] Gap Press Release: Gap Inc. Commits to Using 10,000 Metric Tons of Syre’s Circular Polyester Annually (2025) [3] Houdini Press Release: Houdini Sportswear Commits to Sourcing 50% of Polyester from Syre’s Circular Polyester (2025) [4] Target Press Release: Target Partners with Syre to Incorporate Circular Polyester into Selected Lines (2025) [5] Syre and McKinsey Research: Scaling Textile-to-Textile Recycling: A Roadmap for the Apparel Industry (2025)
- The textile industry's decarbonization and dewaste are being accelerated by strategic partnerships between Syre, Gap Inc., Houdini Sportswear, and Target, where Gap aims to integrate Syre's recycled polyester chips into 10,000 metric tons of its annual production.
- Houdini Sportswear, a brand focusing on circular innovation, plans to source 50% of its polyester usage from Syre’s circular polyester over the next three years, aiming for a fully circular and waste-free ecosystem by 2030.
- In an effort to design all owned brand products for a circular future by 2040, Target is partnering with Syre to incorporate circular polyester into some of its products, aligning with the general-news goal of filling the forecasted supply-demand gap for circular polyester by 2030. This partnership is part of technology-related advancements in the environmental-science field, contributing to the reduction of the industry's environmental footprint.
