Confronting the Wasteful Linear Fashion System
The global textile and fashion industry is a fundamental part of everyday life and a significant contributor to the global economy, employing over 300 million people worldwide. However, the current system of production, distribution, and consumption has become increasingly unsustainable, operating in an almost completely linear manner. Large quantities of non-renewable resources are extracted to produce clothing that is often used for a short period, after which the materials are largely lost to landfill or incineration.
This linear model has left significant economic opportunities untapped, while exerting immense pressure on natural resources, polluting the environment, and creating negative societal impacts. It is estimated that more than half of “fast fashion” produced is disposed of in under a year, and globally, one truckload of clothing is either landfilled or burned every second. In the United States, clothes are worn for only about a quarter of the global average, resulting in an astounding $460 billion in lost value each year from discarded garments that could have been reworn.
Transitioning to a Circular Fashion System
To address the inherent flaws of the current linear fashion system, a vision for a new, circular global textile industry has emerged, one that is restorative and regenerative by design. This circular economy approach aims to keep clothes, textiles, and fibers at their highest value, ensuring they never end up as waste.
Realizing this vision for a circular fashion system relies on three critical focus areas:
1. New Business Models that Increase Clothing Use
In a circular economy for fashion, everyone has access to the clothes they need, when they need them. New business models, such as clothing rental, subscription services, and peer-to-peer sharing, can provide customers with greater flexibility and access to a wider variety of garments, reducing the demand for constant new production.
Importantly, these innovative models work best when clothes are designed and produced with high quality and durability in mind. By shifting the perception of clothing from a disposable item to a durable product, the opportunities for rental, resale, and other circular models are significantly enhanced.
2. Safe and Renewable Inputs
To create a truly circular fashion system, the industry must transition away from its heavy reliance on non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels for synthetic fibers and conventional agriculture for natural fibers like cotton. Instead, the focus must shift to using renewable, regenerative, and safe materials throughout the supply chain.
This means employing regenerative agriculture practices for biobased inputs, using sustainably managed forests for wood-based fibers, and designing out substances of concern that could harm textile workers, clothing users, or the environment. By minimizing reliance on non-renewable resources and hazardous chemicals, the fashion industry can increase the circularity and overall system health of the textile ecosystem.
3. Solutions for Turning Used Clothes into New
To ensure that clothing and textile materials retain their value after use, effective recycling and reuse solutions must be developed and scaled. This involves aligning garment design with available recycling processes, as well as creating innovative business models and partnerships to capture the value of used textiles.
Collaborative efforts between brands, recyclers, and other stakeholders can unlock new opportunities for textile-to-textile recycling, where used garments are transformed into high-quality new materials. Additionally, enhanced resale models and services that support clothing repair, restyling, and maintenance can help extend the useful life of garments, keeping them in circulation for longer.
Strategies for Effective Textile Recycling and Reuse
To unlock the full potential of the circular economy for fashion, a multifaceted approach is needed to improve textile recycling and reuse. Here are some key strategies:
Design for Recyclability
Ensuring that clothing and textile products are designed with recycling in mind is crucial. This involves selecting materials that can be easily disassembled and reprocessed, minimizing the use of blended or composite materials, and avoiding the inclusion of hazardous substances that can contaminate recycling streams.
Case Study: The Jeans Redesign
The Jeans Redesign project, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, has developed guidelines for the design of circular, sustainable jeans. The guidelines address key aspects such as material selection, durability, recyclability, and transparency, serving as a model for how the fashion industry can rethink product design to enable effective recycling and reuse.
Expand Textile-to-Textile Recycling Capacity
Currently, the majority of textile waste is either landfilled, incinerated, or downcycled into lower-value applications, such as insulation or cleaning rags. To keep materials circulating at their highest value, the industry must invest in scaling up textile-to-textile recycling technologies and infrastructure.
This includes developing advanced mechanical and chemical recycling processes that can break down complex textile blends and transform them into new, high-quality fibers. Partnerships between brands, recyclers, and researchers are crucial to driving innovation and expanding the available recycling capacity.
Enhance Clothing Durability and Repairability
As the average quality and durability of clothing on the market increases, so too will the opportunities for capturing value through new circular business models. Designing clothes to last, providing repair services, and encouraging proper care and maintenance can all help extend the useful life of garments.
Many outdoor apparel brands, such as Patagonia, Bergans, and Jack Wolfskin, have already embraced this approach, offering in-store repair services and incentives for customers to keep their garments well-maintained. Expanding these types of services and making them readily accessible can significantly boost clothing utilization rates.
Develop Innovative Resale and Rental Models
Alongside efforts to improve textile recycling, new business models that facilitate the reuse and resale of clothing can play a vital role in keeping materials in circulation. Clothing rental services, peer-to-peer sharing platforms, and collaborative partnerships between brands and resale platforms all present opportunities to increase clothing use and capture the inherent value of garments.
Example: Stella McCartney and The RealReal
Luxury fashion brand Stella McCartney has partnered with online resale platform The RealReal to offer customers the ability to buy and sell pre-owned Stella McCartney items. This collaboration helps to extend the lifespan of the brand’s products while providing customers with a convenient and trusted channel for resale.
Enable Transparency and Traceability
Improving transparency and traceability throughout the textile value chain is essential for driving circular economy progress. This includes clear labeling and information-sharing about the materials, production processes, and end-of-life options for garments, empowering consumers to make more informed choices.
Additionally, the development of industry-wide standards and certification schemes can help establish a common understanding of what constitutes a “circular” or “sustainable” textile product, enabling better decision-making and accountability.
Mobilizing Systems-Level Change
Realizing the vision of a circular fashion system requires collaboration and coordination across the entire textile value chain, from fiber producers and garment manufacturers to brands, retailers, and consumers. No single stakeholder can achieve this transformation alone; it will take a collective, systems-level approach to drive the necessary changes.
Fortunately, momentum is building, with an increasing number of brands, policymakers, and other key players recognizing the urgent need for a circular transition in the fashion industry. By leveraging innovative business models, investing in advanced recycling technologies, and empowering consumers to make more sustainable choices, the industry can unlock significant economic, environmental, and social benefits.
To support this transition, the Joint Action for Water initiative encourages collaboration and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders working towards a more sustainable future. By addressing the interconnected challenges of water, sanitation, and waste management, the initiative aims to catalyze systemic change and unlock the full potential of the circular economy across multiple sectors, including the textile industry.
