During Circle Economy's signature textiles event Beyond Green, the bold and brave voices of the next fashion generation echoed in our ears as a powerful battle-cry was heard from the student-led AMFI activist group Hello-Goodbuy. They are fed up with the current fashion industry and have joined forces to come to terms with their addiction. In a heartfelt launch, this no-nonsense collective voiced their frustrations with the industry and implored us all, students and industry, to #GETYOURSHITTOGETHER.
Let’s be honest. A lot of us here, students and industry, are fashion addicts. And with any addiction, phase 1 is admitting that you, that we, have a problem. - Travis Rice, AMFI Student, Hello-Goodbuy Founding Member
Find the Hello-Goodbuy fashion memorandum below and learn how you can become a sustainable fashion consumer.
#1 Save Money Want to know the #1 rule on 'how to be a sustainable fashion consumer?' DON'T be a fashion consumer. Let’s be real. We treat shopping as a hobby; or at the very least, a means to kill time between weekend brunch dates and dinner plans. Yet no shopping endeavour is complete without a purchase, otherwise, we’ve failed, right? We're asking you to think twice, 'cause all you'll end up killing is your bank account. The average Josephine spends €1,400 a year on clothes. This equates to roughly 30 outfits. But, our closets have become a place where good intentions go to die; amongst those 30 outfits, are 22 desperately unworn, unloved items. Items we “just had to have”. Now, we're not suggesting that you quit, cold turkey. Baby steps, baby. Ask WHY before you buy. Incorporate a 48 hour grace period between seeing and purchasing an item; you might realise that you don't need a leopard print...anything. Curb your temptation and buy a sandwich instead (chances are, an equally purposeful, and infinitely more fulfilling purchase). Or consider what else you could spend that €50 on - like, I don’t know - a night out with friends?
#2 Seek QualityMost items in our closets are like one night stands - we’re not proud of them, we only love’em in the moment and then we leave ’em. Our excuse for having them? -‘cause their easy. The truth of the matter is that we wouldn’t think twice about replacing them with something more long-lasting and more meaningful.So why don’t you stop bringing that sh*t home then? Save your money and your energy for pieces that speak to your true character! Apply the saying “beauty isn’t skin deep” to your own wardrobe. Look beyond aesthetics, to the true value and ethics of your garments.Educate yourself; it's often what's inside that counts, so recognise the beauty of a french seam, self-facing or bias bind. Read labels; where was it produced and from what fibre? Ask shopkeepers; how should you wash and care for it? Curiosity may kill the cat, but satisfaction brings it back.#3 Take CareEvery month, 300 million tons of textiles are thrown away, leading to the emission of over 3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases. Killing animal species, contaminating our drinking water and leading to the deaths of over 10 million people each year. Okay, so perhaps the above numbers are complete bullsh*t, but you know what else is bullsh*t? The fact that you don't care for your clothing. Up to two-thirds of clothes’ carbon footprint occurs after you take it home. True story. This is good news, 'cause the power is in our hands for once. You don’t throw out a new car if it gets a dent, you don’t give back your newborn child after getting his/her first scrape, so why do you think your wardrobe is disposable? We need to look after our clothes and it's really not hard. Wash less, wash cold, line-dry and mend often. They say that waste is nothing more than a failed relationship. We say, stick around past the getting to know you stage, and you can live happily ever after together.
#4 Start a legacyThat new thing you want? Well it most likely has existed ten times already- and you can find a cheaper, higher-quality version in the bargain basement of your local thrift store. Fashion works in endless cycles. Sure, you risk the spine-melting horror of finding a used tissue in the pocket, but you also gain the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with finding a hand stitched name in the collar, or the sheer joy or uncovering a diamond in the rough. Clothing was once considered to have value that increased over time. Once, garments were passed from generation to generation and no political, military, social or religious event was complete without textiles bestowed, burned, exchanged or sacrificed.It's simple; like a fine wine, or a pungent cheese, true fashion only gets better with age. And when it's time to say goodbye? There is no goodbye. Swap, lend, thrift, recycle. Pass it on- that stuff is valuable.
Stop throwing things out, and start throwing things around.
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On the 28th of October, in partnership with the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, we held our signature circular textiles event, Beyond Green, at the beautiful Pakhuis de Zwijger. Read the full event recap and the four key learnings that emerged from the day below.
https://vimeo.com/191341921
The topic of the day was zero waste and the role that design, technology, businesses, and consumers play in achieving this in the fashion industry.
A palpable excitement and energy filled the room, where students and industry rubbed shoulders and exchanged ideas, during a day of inspiration and collaborative problem solving. Two words can summarise the prevailing atmosphere; hopeful and urgent.
“The one thing we cannot waste anymore is time. We have a window of opportunity, to change the way we work on this planet” - Gwen Cunningham, Lead of the Circle Textiles Programme at Circle Economy and Coordinator for Sustainability at AMFI
Most notably, the day did not dwell on the problem, but rather, focussed on concrete solutions that are bubbling below the surface and asked 'what next?'. Key learnings that emerged from the day included:
Isaac Nichelson, Chief Sustainability and Marketing Officer at Recover, one of the world's leading mechanical upcyclers, with 70 years of experience recycling cotton and textile waste, schooled us on the immediate potential of closed loop textile recycling. He stressed that huge synergies exists between mechanical and chemical recyclers and highlighted how they will both play a critical role to achieve a zero waste future.
“Finally I feel momentum, after 20 years of trying to convince people. Linear, meet Circular... This is where we’re heading” - Isaac Nichelson, Chief Sustainability and Marketing Officer at Recover
It was made clear that solutions, including the FIBERSORT technology and the 'tinder for textiles', Circle Market, exist and are scaleable however, what is needed is an increase in demand for them.
Gwen Cunningham, Lead of the Circle Textiles Programme at Circle Economy and Coordinator for Sustainability at AMFI, got straight to the heart of the issue by calling out the culprits: planned and perceived obsolescence and our unfaltering pursuit of 'growth for growth's sake.'
By looking to the past, Gwen helped us to imagine a zero waste future. She pointed to the ingenuity of war-time Britain, when fantastical measures were introduced with remarkable success, in order to safeguard raw materials. If we were faced with similar rations, as our war stricken predecessors, how would we cope?
Indeed, constraint drives genius and the genius is already bubbling up around is. In fact, Circle Economy’s Circle Textile's Programme is already paving this new path with the advent of an exciting new partnership with the C&A Foundation that will continue to push innovative projects like the FIBERSORT technology and Circle Market.
Solutions for reducing the amount of waste produced during the sampling stage of designing a fashion line were brought to light by recent AMFI graduates Tamara Koch and Zil Vostalova. They introduced us to the concept of working “phygitally'. The love affair between the physical and digital world, that can be perfectly married using softwares like Clo3D and Lectra to enable virtual prototyping.
“We have to stop thinking of products as static, stationary objects, we have to think of them as journeys” -Dr.Kate Goldsworthy, Design Researcher at the Textiles Futures Research Center
Self confessed ‘trash lady’ Jessie Kroon of A New Zero, taught us how she mastered a zero waste lifestyle, and invited us to join her on her quest. While through continued research and prototyping, Dr. Kate Goldsworthy showed the audience how she is building a powerful menu of design strategies for a zero-waste, circular world.
Technology and general consumer awareness are in tow to help realise a zero waste fashion industry. As a result of this the industry must prepare for a future where the consumer has the potential to be the supplier of raw materials.
“In a circular future, consumers will be the raw materials suppliers”and play a critical role in the supply chain.” - Cyndi Rhoades, Founder and CEO of Worn Again
The packed auditorium heard from leading minds on the topic including the current innovations of Worn Again's chemical recycling technology, the was presented by founder and CEO, Cyndi Rhoades. She explained that while upcycling is a good solution in the interim, it simply extends the lifetime of materials, which will ultimately end up in landfill anyway.
The bold and brave voice of the next generation echoed in our ears as a powerful battle-cry came from the student-led AMFI activist group Hello-Goodbuy. They are fed up with the current fashion industry and have joined forces to come to terms with their addiction. In a heartfelt launch, this no-nonsense collective voiced their frustrations with the industry and implored us all, students and industry, to #GETYOURSHITTOGETHER.
Additional learnings were discovered during an intense 2.5 hour circular fashion hackathon at which a lucky number of AMFI students and hand selected industry collaborated with four pioneering companies, Orta Anadolu, Boer Group, Mud Jeans and The Next Closet. These forward-thinking companies were brave enough to put their real-life, zero waste challenges on the table seeking circular solutions.
“We came here today to find a solution for this problem of waste, globally “ - Gulfem Santo, Marketing Team Leader at Orta Anadolu
Details about the challenges presented and the solutions that emerged can be found in the case studies below.
Orta Anadolu, is one of the biggest denim manufacturers in the world and currently produces over 60 million meters of denim in its Turkish and Bahraini factories. Transparency, commitment and trustworthiness are key elements of Orta’s philosophy. These elements are clear in their promise to be a leading denim brand that continues to pursue sustainable production.
They have discovered that they are losing millions of metres of denim per year to small flaws from fast paced innovation, otherwise defined by the industry as ‘seconds'. Sadly, this problem isn't unique to Orta Anadolu. In fact, an estimated 750 million metres in the denim industry alone, are considered ‘seconds’. This tremendous amount of wasted denim is being sold at a fraction of its actual value, undermining the entire industry. Orta Anadolu has set out to find out what they can we do differently to reduce this ‘waste’.
During the signature event of our Circle Textiles Programme, Beyond Green, organised by Circle Economy and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Orta Anadolu was brave enough to put their real-life zero waste challenge on the table. Together with experts and ambitious AMFI students, they knuckled down and combined their brainpower in an intense 2.5 hour circular fashion hackathon.
"As Orta, we are proud to have taken part in the Circle Economy's zero waste economy workshop...Everyone was so engaged and ready to take action no matter how big the problem. Even though, we deal with complicated issues, the people in the room were enthusiastic and that reflected on the energy of the whole day. We aim for a greater, sustainable and stimulating future and we believe that like-minded people can lead the way for a brighter future."
- Orta Anadolu, Lead Sponsor Beyond Green
The group dedicated to Orta Anadolu's challenge came up with a multi-faceted approach to dealing with the ‘seconds’ of the fashion industry. A suggested solution was the development of a detection device, that can map defects on a fabric. Using this digital blueprint CMT could cut around the defects and maximise the use of 'seconds'. However this technology would only solve a portion of the problem. Most importantly the industry needs to work together and create a demand for ‘seconds’ in the market, which would ultimate bolster the value of this otherwise lost resource.
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The Boer Group is a leading, international, textile recycling organisation with sorting and collecting companies across the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. They collect and sort used textiles to prepare them for a second life and work with businesses that recycle textiles in sustainable and diverse ways.
At present, 7 sorting businesses are active within the Boer Group and together, they sort 450,000 kg. of textiles daily. The business of sorting is a matter of balance; the profitable re-wearables subsidise the unprofitable non re-wearables or recyclables.
“What do we mean with circular? Short answer is keeping the raw materials that go into our textiles into continual circulation” - Cyndi Rhoades, Founder and CEO of Worn Again
However, the advent of fast fashion has heralded a new era of waste; high volume, low quality clothing floods the market and the delicate balance has now been dangerously tipped. There is mounting pressure to find new avenues for those clothes that cannot be sold as re-wearables and The Boer Group has set out to create value from these low-grade textiles by discovering new markets, partners and innovations that will solve this post-consumer challenge.
During the signature event of our Circle Textiles Programme, Beyond Green, organised by Circle Economy and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, The Boer Group was brave enough to put their real-life zero waste challenge on the table. Together with experts and ambitious AMFI students, they knuckled down and combined their brainpower in an intense 2.5 hour circular fashion hackathon.
“Especially with AMFI students if you connect with them, they are the starting point of our business. They produce the clothes that we have to recycle, they should be educated on how their design decisions impact the recycling of the clothing” - Elisa Bes, Communications & Relations at The Boer Group
To address the growing number of non-recyclable textiles, the group identified the need for customer awareness and better systems to dispose of garments once they have reached their end-of-life. They recognised governmental regulations and incentives as key initiatives that should be put in place, next to large-scale, industry collaboration and the involvement of cities, municipalities, brands and retailers.
What if we all cleaned up our own messes? This simple question was how MUD Jeans was started. A modern, fashionable clothing brand with a positive environmental impact, they are the only brand that works completely according to the principles of the circular economy. In 2013 they introduced their ‘Lease A Jeans’ concept, an innovative approach to offering guilt-free consumption. Instead of purchasing a pair of their jeans consumers can lease them for a low monthly cost. This allows the consumer to switch out the jeans for a new pair whenever they want to upgrade their wardrobe and ensures that MUD Jeans remains the owners of the raw materials so that their jeans can be recycled. However, they still have a few obstacles to overcome to achieve a zero waste recycling process.
“...making clothes last longer is definitely an important part of a circular economy...” - Dr. Kate Goldsworthy, Design Researcher at the Textiles Futures Research Centre
Standard fibre type, common colour, consistent product specifications are all encompassed in a pair of classic denim jeans, making them packed with closed-loop potential! Yet, when each pair is sent for recycling, up to 35% of the product is disposed of when the hardware-heavy waist is separated from the pant legs. The waist portion, complete with rivets, buttons and zippers is, for the most part, sent to be incinerated or downcycled into materials used for such things as insulation for car roofs. Dyestuffs, elastic, stitching, pocket lining and care labels can all complicate and contaminate the recycling process even further. With this in mind, MUD Jeans set out to design the ultimate pair of recyclable jeans.
During the signature event of our Circle Textiles Programme, Beyond Green, organised by Circle Economy and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, MUD Jeans was brave enough to put their real-life zero waste challenge on the table. Together with experts and ambitious AMFI students, they knuckled down and combined their brainpower in an intense 2.5 hour circular fashion hackathon.
“So the loop is actually closing already, it’s up to all of us to jump into it and get onto this incredible cycle here, bring our entire industry into it and move forward with increasing momentum” - Isaac Nichelson, Chief Sustainability and Marketing Officer at Recover
Once the current barriers for recycling a complete pair of jeans, including the zipper, pockets and buttons, were addressed, the group took a good look at how the jeans could be redesigned. Right off the bat, the traditional zipper was replaced with buttons. Additionally all buttons on the jeans were redesigned to be removable so that consumers could not only personalise their jeans but also play a role in the disassembly process. Once the jeans are no longer being used by the consumer they can return the jeans for recycling, but only after they have removed and saved their buttons for their next purchase. This innovative solution could take MUD Jeans one step closer to creating the ultimate pair of recyclable jeans.
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The Next Closet is a marketplace for pre-loved designer fashion. Every season, while one trend after another is strutting down the runway, wardrobes are getting fuller and wallets are getting thinner. Not an ideal situation.
Via The Next Closet’s online platform users can sell their pre-owned designer fashions or shop other people's closets. Since the company launched in 2013 this has proven to be a widely sought out concept.
"The idea that things can be ‘in’ or ‘out’- this is dangerous. These two things come together and are a dangerous cocktail, they get us drunk on stuff." - Gwen Cunningham, Lead of the Circle Textiles Programme at Circle Economy and Coordinator for Sustainability at AMFI
As the market for secondhand luxury fashion continues to boom, The Next Closet was anxious to find a way to involve luxury brands in the ever-growing vintage revival. Pre-loved Chanel jackets, vintage Prada bags, and gently worn Jimmy Choos are bought and sold through third-party vendors and re-commerce sites at lightening speed. But can luxury brands themselves take control of their secondhand goods? How could existing re-commerce sites, like The Next Closet, work with luxury brands to launch such a programme? Is the luxury consumer ready for circularity?
During the signature event of our Circle Textiles Programme, Beyond Green, organised by Circle Economy and the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, The Next Closet was brave enough to put their real-life zero waste challenges on the table. Together with experts and ambitious AMFI students, they knuckled down and combined their brainpower in an intense 2.5 hour circular fashion hackathon.
“It is very interesting to bring the two worlds together, students have completely different ideas and ambitions compared to industry and when these two worlds collide, brilliant things happen!” - Thalita van Ogtrop, Founder at The Next Closet
The group acknowledged the fact that luxury brands are becoming evermore interested in take-back schemes but do not want to be involved in the logistics. To overcome this obstacle they came up with a solution that would entice luxury brands think beyond the first life of their garments. They proposed for luxury brands to include digital, scannable labels in their garments at the time of production. This would allow consumers, who wish to sell their garment on a re-commerce site, the ability to scan the label and have photos and a description of the garment ready to upload. Additionally, the scannable labels facilitate the reselling of garments while the brands maintain their high-end image without having to be involved in the logistics of resale.
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ACtronics is a Dutch automotive supplier that remanufactures automotive car electronic components to provide high-quality components and spare parts. The company’s remanufacture process ensures that each product is inspected for common faults as well as future problem areas. These are corrected and, as a result, each of the products that are remanufactured by ACtronics are expected to work and look like new, with a lifetime equal to, if not beyond, the original manufacturer specifications. The success of ACtronics lies in their thorough understanding of the latest communication systems within the automotive industry and their innovative business approach.
"The ACtronics Group is committed to remanufacturing. We are innovators focussed on creating quality end products that help people save money, improve profitability of garages while at the same time improving their levels of customer satisfaction and decreasing their environmental footprint. We believe the future of the automotive industry will be circular, that is why we joined Circle Economy's membership."
- Thijs Jasink, COO ACtronics
The Dutch automotive industry, characterised by a dynamic mix of innovative part and component suppliers like ACtronics, is well-positioned to play a leading role in the transition to a circular economy.
ACtronics is one of those companies that is - in many ways - already circular by nature. So we are very pleased to have them on board! They are a driver of change and an inspiring example of how remanufacturing can make an industry more circular.”
- Ben Kubbinga, Lead Partnerships and Collaboration at Circle Economy
Curious to learn more about the vision of ACtronics on the future of the car industry? Read the report: 'On the road to the circular car', featuring ACtronics COO, Thijs Jasink.The report, co-created by ABN AMRO and Circle Economy, presents the future of the automotive industry, the role consumer trends play and how car part suppliers can future-proof their business by adopting circular business models.Other expert's interviews in the report are from Ralph Ramaekers DSM Engineering Plastics,Jasper IJsenbrandt - ARN, Jan-Paul Kimmel - CLAUT, Wim Simons - Timmerije, Martijn Lopes Cardozo - Black Bear Carbon.
The Circulars, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and Forum of Young Global Leaders, is the world’s premier circular economy award program. It is held annually, in January at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, and run in collaboration with Accenture. The Awards engage individuals and organisations from across business and civil society across 7 award categories, ranging from multinationals to entrepreneurs, with winners receiving the opportunity to attend the ceremony in Davos. Circle Economy is a supporter of this year's Circulars Awards and very proud Black Bear and CRS Holland are nominated!
The Dell Circular Economy People’s Choice Award is for early-stage innovators and entrepreneurs at the forefront of the circular economy, demonstrating innovation and market disruption. The winner and runners up for this award are chosen by public vote which opens on the 24th October till the 11th November. Please make sure to vote for Black Bear or CRS Holland now!
Black Bear brings the circular economy to tires and has developed innovative technology to extract high quality carbon black from waste tires, allowing for industries to move away from the ‘polluting’ carbon black that is currently produced from crude oil. Carbon black is used in tires and rubber, and as pigment in coatings, plastics and inks.
Black Bear’s circular solution, which tackles the issues posed by the 1 billion end of life tries produced globally each year, has the potential to unlock a huge environmental impact. Each ton of carbon black produced by Black Bear saves 2.5 tons of oil and 5 tons of CO2. For each installation, that’s more CO2 than 1 million trees can consume. Moreover, there are enough waste tires to build over 800 installations!
Black Bear has formed over 30 customer relationships, including ones with tire giants such as Michelin and GoodYear and paint companies such as AkzoNobel. These companies have tested the Black Bear product with good results and are incorporating it in their production processes.
In summary, Black Bear is solving the issue of waste tires and at the same time reducing oil consumption through their circular innovative solution for carbon black users.
CRS Holland has developed a circular economy solution to a unique environmental and economic challenge hidden under the sea.
Since 1850, an estimated 1.7 million km of cables have been installed underneath our sea, cables which are made of nearly 800.000 metric tons of metals and 800.000 metric tons of plastics, and can be worth several billion USD. Many of these cables have gone out of service and still 94% of unused cables are lying on the seabed together with 72.000 repeaters, some of which contain traces of radioactive materials. Recovering and recycling these unused cables could save over 4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.
CRS Holland is committed to cleaning up the oceans and to recovering this value and provide Telecom companies with deep sea cable recovery services, giving them an opportunity to turn their retired cables from liability into an asset by selling the recovered materials.
To date, CRS Holland have completed 8 projects and recovered 30,000km of cable from under the sea.
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