In an innovation project with SmartTextiles, an initiative for sustainable fashion at the Fashion Center at the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås, ByBarb has pushed the boundaries for fashion accessories by investigating whether it is possible to produce eco-smart hair ties without compromising on function, design, and price. As a result of the project, the Circular Collection line is now being launched, featuring hair ties made from recycled polyamide from end-of-life tires.

”The purpose of the Smart Textiles project was precisely to drive positive change in an industry characterized by wear and tear”, says Hanna von Schantz, co-founder and marketing director at ByBarb.

Regarding the climate impact of hair ties, in addition to them wearing out and being thrown away, production and materials are of crucial importance. ByBarb found a manufacturer in Italy whose factory gets half of its energy from solar panels and sources all raw materials within a 10 km radius. The reason for choosing polyamide from tires is that the recycling chain is not as well developed as for, for example, PET. ”Therefore, it has been particularly exciting to show that it is possible to produce beautiful products and create a circular economy around end-of-life tires”, says Hanna von Schantz, co-founder and marketing director at ByBarb. There is also a great deal of energy to save compared to using virgin polyamide. Recycled polyamide is processed from pellets to textile yarn. The yarn in ByBarb's ties is called Blufibre® and the raw material originally comes from chemical recycling of post-consumer tires. The yarn is OEKO-TEX® certified.