Swiss plastic-free sportswear brand Mover Plastic Free Sportswear has demonstrated the biodegradability of its garments by burying them in soil for eight months and then displaying the decomposed pieces in a public exhibition, highlighting a growing push in the apparel industry toward climate-friendly, non-synthetic materials.
The “Back to Nature” installation, hosted at Mover’s pop-up store on Füsslistrasse 6 in central Zurich, presents the results of the company’s soil burial experiment and runs until Dec. 24. The display is intended to provide real-world proof that sportswear made entirely from natural fibres such as merino wool and Ventile cotton — without plastics of any kind — will break down in nature, contrasting sharply with conventional synthetic-fibre garments that can linger in the environment for decades.
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Mover was launched with the explicit mission of eliminating plastic from performance clothing, a sector in which synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon account for a large majority of all materials and contribute to microplastic pollution when washed or discarded. The Lausanne-based company has engineered products without plastic in fabrics, threads, trims or coatings, an approach CEO and founder Nicolas Rochat asserts proves that high-performance sportswear does not need petroleum-derived materials.
The Zurich pop-up also features Mover’s broader range of outdoor and athletic apparel, which uses Swiss-crafted natural fabrics and emphasises both durability and environmental responsibility. The brand’s work is part of a wider trend in sustainable fashion, driven by growing consumer awareness of plastic pollution and increasing demand for products with minimal ecological footprints.
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Industry observers note that while plastic-free apparel remains a niche segment compared with mainstream synthetic performance wear, experiments like Mover’s ground-burial display offer compelling evidence of how natural-fibre garments can reintegrate with the environment at end of life. Such demonstrations aim to shift perceptions among consumers and makers about the feasibility and benefits of biodegradable sportswear.
The Zurich installation runs through the holiday season, giving visitors a chance to examine decomposed fabrics and learn about the environmental challenges posed by conventional textile materials, as well as the design innovations that brands like Mover are pursuing to address them.
