Why Circular Knitted Fabrics Are the Future of Performance Wear — and How Climatex Is Leading the Shift
Jun 9, 2025
3
min reading
For years, sustainability in performance apparel was dominated by recycled synthetics and marketing-driven “green collections.” However, recently, brands are under growing pressure to move beyond partial solutions — and build circular supply chains that can support scalable, compliant business models.
The Global Sustainable Fashion Market is projected to grow from $5.5 billion in 2020 to $34.8 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 20.5%, according to Coherent Market Insights. This reflects both consumer demand and the increasing urgency for brands to adopt circular business models across their product lines.
In Europe, the incoming EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles requires brands to design for circularity, durability, and recycling — with Digital Product Passport (DPP) frameworks expected to become mandatory between 2026–2030.
In this context, circular knitted fabrics — and particularly circular weft knit fabrics — are gaining attention as a key building block for next-generation sourcing. Designed for recyclability and aligned with mono-material strategies, they offer performance brands a pathway to scale circular design without compromising technical functionality.
But making these fabrics viable at scale requires more than innovation — it demands suppliers who can engage in deep R&D partnerships, ensure full certification and traceability, and deliver flexible global production.
This is exactly where Climatex, a Taiwan-based circular knitted fabric supplier, is helping to lead the next wave of market adoption.
Meet Climatex: A Global Leader in Circular Knitted Fabrics
Founded in 1975 in Taiwan, Climatex has steadily evolved from a traditional knits manufacturer into a circular knitted fabric specialist with global capabilities.
Today, the company operates production in three different hubs in Taiwan, Vietnam and China.
They specialize in:
Single Jersey
Double Knit
Jacquard
Flat Knit
Its end markets include sportswear, activewear, outdoor, and fashion, with clients such as Under Armour, Puma, Brooks, Castore, and Umbro.
They are focused on developing and delivering textiles that meet brands needs as well as ensuring their offers have next-gen performance while and match circularity needs.
Click here to source Climatex fabrics on our sourcing platform.
Circular Innovation at the Core
At Climatex, circularity isn’t just a concept—it’s a material reality.
The team has developed sample products using yarns made from RENU® recycled polyester (sourced from discarded garments and fabric scraps) and Renewcell’s CIRCULOSE®, a regenerated fiber derived from post-consumer cotton waste.
These projects reflect their commitment to aligning textile innovation with the principles of circular economy and responsible design.
The Rise of Circular Knitted Fabrics
Circularity begins at the design stage, but it’s through sourcing that its impact is truly scaled.
According to Textile Exchange’s 2024 Materials Market Report, recycled polyester still represents nearly 54% of global performance fabric sourcing — but brands are accelerating investment in circular-ready fibers designed for textile-to-textile recycling and design-for-disassembly.
Meanwhile, McKinsey & BoF’s State of Fashion 2025 highlights that:
71% of European consumers now say environmental and social impact is a key purchase driver for apparel — a sharp increase from pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, over 40% of fashion executives list circular product innovation as a top-three sourcing priority for 2025 and beyond.
For performance brands, circular design is emerging as a strategic differentiator in increasingly saturated sportswear and activewear markets.
Their focus on circular weft knit fabrics enables brands to:
Align products with EU circularity and Digital Product Passport (DPP) frameworks
Design for mechanical or chemical recycling pathways
Support mono-material construction to ease future disassembly and textile recovery
This aligns with the market’s broader shift toward design-for-recyclability — a foundational principle of circular fashion strategy frameworks championed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Global Fashion Agenda.
Innovation That Starts at Material Development
What sets Climatex apart is its R&D-first approach and its ability to engage in deep innovation partnerships.
Rather than taking a transactional approach, Climatex works closely with brand innovation and R&D teams — often at pre-commercial development stages.
Its internal capabilities include:
10+ in-house innovation specialists
Garment sampling lab
Certified testing laboratories
Strategic partnerships with yarn innovators and chemical suppliers
This collaborative, challenge-driven approach is especially valuable in sportswear and activewear — categories where fabrics must not only meet rigorous performance standards, but also align with circularity and compliance requirements.
Certification and Traceability: A Non-Negotiable Standard
Today’s sourcing leaders know that certification and traceability are table stakes — especially with EU DPP and EPR frameworks advancing.
Climatex’s certified capabilities include:
Bluesign®
Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
OEKO-TEX® 100
ISO 9001 / 14001
ZDHC MRSL-compliant
Higg FEM & FSLM
STeP by OEKO-TEX®
A Strategic Global Footprint for Flexible Sourcing
With production hubs across Taiwan, Vietnam, and China, Climatex is able to support global brands in building resilient, flexible circular sourcing strategies.
This geographic flexibility enables brands to:
Optimize for lead time
Balance regional compliance requirements
Respond to trade dynamics
Support localized sourcing where needed
With multiple production hubs, Climatex enables brands to build resilient and flexible circular sourcing strategies — while minimizing carbon footprint across their supply chains.
Climatex & World Collective’s Ecosystem
At World Collective, we intentionally build partnerships with suppliers who can drive verified, transparent, data-first sourcing — not just for today’s trends, but for the future of responsible sourcing.
Climatex brings:
A supplier-first innovation mindset
Proven alignment with DPP and EPR frameworks
A track record of early-stage brand collaboration
Certified materials that meet circularity, performance, and transparency standards
By being part of World Collective’s digital ecosystem, Climatex enables brands to:
Discover and source circular knitted fabrics
Build DPP-compliant material portfolios
Accelerate circular product innovation in performance categories
The Road Ahead: Scaling Circular Knitted Fabrics for Market Impact
The market signals are clear:
EU DPP regulations are moving forward.
Textile-to-textile recycling capacity is expanding across Europe and Asia.
Consumers are demanding verified circular products — not just recycled content.
Circular knitted fabrics will play an essential role in building scalable circularity for sportswear and activewear — one of fashion’s fastest-growing segments.
Climatex’s leadership, combining deep R&D, certified transparency, and global production flexibility — makes it a valuable partner for brands ready to lead in this space.
At World Collective, we are proud to collaborate with Climatex to make circular sourcing more accessible, transparent, and scalable — helping bridge the gap between innovation and market adoption.
Next Steps: Explore Circular Knitted Fabrics with Climatex
If your brand is ready to:
Accelerate your circularity strategy
Source certified circular knitted fabrics
Build compliance-ready material portfolios
Partner with an innovation-driven supplier
Brands can source from Climatex and other certified suppliers today through World Collective’s Marketplace - powered by Tengiva — and take the next step toward building circular, future-fit product lines.
