Sao Paolo - Brazilian circular knitter Berlan Têxtil has been working with Riachuelo, one of the country's leading activewear brands to produce a new collection of sustainable fitness clothing.

The Mais Sustentável Fitness collection is made using a number of sustainable textile technologies such as Lycra EcoMade fibre, which is produced using 20 per cent pre-consumer recycled spandex, and Rhodia’s Amni Soul Eco biodegradable polyamide, which decomposes in about three years after disposal in landfills.

The collection includes ten options of comfortable sets with Berlan Têxtil’s Eco Print stamping, which reduces water consumption by 90 per cent and energy consumption by 30 per cent throughout the process, when compared to the rotary process.

"Our focus is to increasingly offer sustainable products to our customers and, with this collection, we have opened yet another door for the retail sector," said Valesca Magalhães, Sustainability Manager at Riachuelo. "Riachuelo has shown itself to be progressively active, and we are specially committed to contributing to more sustainable fashion.

"The functionality and elasticity of the pieces are key benefits along with the ability to easily shape to the body. The pieces were made especially for leisure and sports use and bring versatility. The prints vary between floral, plain, with or without textures and canvases in black, blue, green and pink.

The Riachuelo brand was founded more than 70 years ago and employees 40,000 people.

It is one of the largest fashion companies in Brazil and one of the largest domestic apparel retailers with 320 stores and more than 30 million customers. Founded 60 years ago in Sao Paolo, Berlan Têxtil is a vertically integrated manufacturer using the latest textile technology to provide yarn manufacturing, knitting and finishing processes, serving the fashion, activewear, beachwear and underwear segments. The company offers a range of knitted fabrics including plain and printed fabrics, jacquards and stripes.